WESTLAND, Mich. – A fundraiser has been started to support the family of a 46-year-old man who died early Saturday after a fire broke out at a home on Haller Street in Westland.
Relatives said Paul Lucas died from smoke inhalation while trying to put out the fire and save the family’s house.
The home has been in the family for generations, said Bonnie Johnson, Lucas’ mother, who inherited it from her parents and lived there with her son.
“He was basically sort of my heart and soul,” Johnson said. “Whenever I got sick, he was the one that would run to the store; he was the one that made sure I ate.”
Johnson said she woke up shortly after midnight to the smell of smoke and believes the fire started accidentally in Lucas’ room while he was smoking inside the house. She said the fire spread quickly.
“The last thing I remember is I’m telling him we’ve got to go, I can’t breathe, because the smoke was so bad,” Johnson said. “He said get me the fire extinguisher, so I went and grabbed the fire extinguisher that was in the kitchen.”
Johnson said she ran to a neighbor’s home to call 911, but Lucas never made it out. The Westland Fire Department is investigating and confirmed that Lucas’ cause of death is suspected to be smoke inhalation.
“As I’m standing on their porch, I could see the flames going up over top of the roof of the house,” she said. “It was about, I think, around 1:30, they came and told me they found him.”
Johnson is staying with relatives and is now facing the loss of her home and belongings. Lucas’ 27-year-old daughter, his only child, is making funeral arrangements.
The family has created a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses.
Johnson said Lucas was devoted to his daughter and her three children.
“He loved his daughter, and he was so proud of her and her kids,” Johnson said. “Because her kids are eight and 7 and his granddaughter will be 4 in June. He was incredibly proud of them.”
Donations can be made here.