TAPIOLA, MI— A man has died in a Houghton County fire he threatened to set.
Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched Saturday around 7:40 a.m. to a Tapiola home for a domestic altercation. They say Alex Paavola, 39, had gone to his parents’ house and threatened to burn it down. Paavola’s parents went to a neighbor’s home and called for help.
When first responders arrived, they found the house engulfed in flames. Deputies set up a perimeter and began searching for Paavola with help from two Michigan State Police K9s, the MSP Drone Team, and the Houghton and Hancock Police Departments.
When the fire was extinguished, first responders found a deceased person in the house. It was identified as Alex Paavola.
The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Also assisting at the scene were the Otter Lake Fire Department, Chassell Township Fire Department, Hurontown Fire Department, the Michigan State Police Fire Marshall, the Houghton County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Mercy Ambulance.
