Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An 87-year-old Independence Township man who was in a wheelchair died this week when he was unable to escape from his home after it caught fire.

Larry Dean Goforth was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Wednesday evening.

An autopsy on Thursday determined the cause of death was smoke inhalation.

Goforth’s 72-year-old wife lost sight of her husband in the dense smoke and left the house. She was hospitalized after the fire for smoke inhalation. She was treated and released early Thursday morning.

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies and Independence Township Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a home in the 7000 block of Clintonville Road at 6:30pm on Wednesday after receiving a call from the wife.

Deputies twice entered the home from different locations in attempts to rescue Goforth but were driven back by thick smoke, intense heat and flames each time. Firefighters were ultimately able to reach Goforth, remove him from the house, and attempt life-saving measures. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Fire Investigations Unit.