NILES, Mich. -- Firefighters responding to a fire at a home on S. Third Street located the resident deceased inside the home, Niles Township Police said.

Tuesday afternoon, a road department employee spotted smoke coming from the eaves of a home in the 3100 block of S. Third Street and called the fire department.

While waiting for firefighters, the worker knocked on the door several times, but couldn’t enter the home because of the locked door.

When firefighters arrived, they entered the home and located the 79-year-old homeowner dead in the living room.

The fire was quickly extinguished.

The Michigan State Police Fire Investigation Unit was called in to investigate the cause of the fire.

The Niles Township Fire Department was also assisted by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Niles Township Road Patrol division, Detective Bureau, and Victim Services Unit.