Michigan State Police investigate deadly Alpena fire amid storm aftermath

ALPENA, Mich. — A man has died following a house fire in Alpena, and authorities are investigating whether the death was related to recent storms, according to Michigan State Police.

• Previous story: House fire in Alpena leaves one dead, cause under investigation

Officials have indicated that it may take some time before they can confirm the cause.

The fire occurred along Huron Beach Road, with township fire officials reporting that they were called to the scene just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

Upon arrival, crews found the home fully engulfed in flames and already collapsed.

Fire officials believe the blaze had been burning for several hours before they were alerted.

Neighbor Bonnie Frantz described the challenges faced in alerting emergency services due to poor cell phone reception in the area.

"One of the neighbors jumped in his car and he took a cell phone and went because we do not have cell phone service in this area, even if the power isn't out," said Frantz. "He called 911 when he finally got the service. And then that's when they were alerted that the house, you know, was on fire. But by the time we had really seen it, it was fully engulfed."

Neighbors reportedly had to drive for several minutes to obtain cell phone service and contact emergency responders.

Michigan State Police have taken over the investigation and plan to release more details, including the victim's identity, as information becomes available.