89-year-old dies in Pontiac house fire

PONTIAC, Mich. (WJBK) -
In Pontiac an elderly man was killed in a house fire Wednesday morning.

Now his long time neighbor can't believe what happened.

"I've been here 66 years, I've known him for 63," said Paul Godoshian. "I consider him my best friend."

The fire happened at about 7:20 Wednesday morning on Draper Street near Voorhees and Telegraph in Pontiac.

"Smoke filled up to the floor," said Waterford Regional Fire Chief John Lyman. "We did a search and found an 89-year-old man lying on the floor."

That man Frank Doll, was a retiree from General Motors and a 40-year member and usher at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Waterford. 

"Yesterday I invited him in and we just talked for an hour about different things," Godoshian said.

"I feel sorry for losing Frank but I also feel sorry for my father," said Jan Austin, who grew up in the house across from Doll. "They were best friends."

Fire investigators are still trying to figure out the cause of the fire. It is undetermined now, but there were a lot of generators going in the morning.

FOX 2: "There was a power failure, people trying to keep warm. You think that played any role in what happened?"

"I don't think he was trying to keep warm, but I know it is still under investigation, we're not sure," said Lyman.

But the chief does not suspect any kind of criminal activity. 

"He just lost his wife this summer, that's two jolts we get back to back," said Godoshian.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Lyman.

The fire department was unsure if there was a working smoke detector.

"When you talk about the Second Commandment, love by neighbor, you knew he knew what that meant," said Godoshian.