A fire in Utica early Thursday morning took the life of an elderly man. The 96-year old never made it out of his house, after flames broke out overnight. Brad Vivacqua spoke with family, neighbors and fire officials, and has more from the scene on Dudley Avenue.
UTICA, N.Y. -- Fire crews were called to the 1200 block of Utica's Dudley Avenue just before 3 a.m. Thursday morning. That's where they found the home of 96-year old Nathaniel Collins fully engulfed with flames.
Collins was believed to be sleeping on the second floor when the fire started.
"Collins had lived in the two-story home alone for the last two years after his wife passed away," said Utica Fire Chief Russell Brooks.
His granddaughter says he called this house home for many years with his wife and kids.
"He liked to have conversation, he liked fishing, he loved his dog. My mother bought the dog a couple years ago to keep him company because he refused to leave the home. My family wanted to put him in a nursing home, of course. But he said no, he wanted to stay here, this is where he and his wife lived all their years together, so he wanted to stay home. This is where he felt closest to her at," said Natasha Perkins, his granddaughter.
And with a lifetime of locally made neighborhood friends, the memories of Nathaniel Collins will never end.
Collins' German Sheppard, a gift from his daughter for companionship, also died in the fire.
The cause of the fire isn't yet known, but the cause and origin team was brought in to investigate.