A downtown apartment fire claimed the life of one man early Friday morning.
Marshall B. Drake, 52, of Bowling Green, was found unresponsive by fire crews upon entry to his apartment at 127 S. Main St., according to a Bowling Green Police Division press release.
At 1:11 a.m., fire crews responded to a call from a resident who could smell smoke in the apartment, said Chief Stephen Meredith of the Bowling Green Fire Division.
When firefighters got to the second floor apartment above Serenity Spa and Salon at 1:16 a.m., they located smoke coming from Drake’s apartment and extinguished the flames, Meredith said.
Drake was found unresponsive on the bed and crews performed CPR before he was transported to the Wood County hospital where he was pronounced dead, he said.
Meredith said there was a smoke detector in the apartment, but he didn’t know if it was operating prior to the fire.
Aside from smoke, fire damage was contained to the apartment, which had a hole burned through it, he said.
Crews forced entry into the downstairs business and pulled ceiling tiles to check if the fire had spread, Meredith said.
The fire started in the area near the bed of the efficiency apartment and the cause is still being investigated, he said.
