Explosion, fire set by man who died

MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - The house fire and explosion that killed a Muskegon Township man in early October was intentionally set -- by the man who died.

Charles Wilbur died a day after his home exploded on October 2. He was 48.

Wilbur was hospitalized in critical condition that day after there was the explosion and fire at his house in the 2100 block of Vine Avenue.

Firefighters got to the house around 5:25 a.m. and found the single-story house was fully engulfed. Its roof and part of the east exterior wall had collapsed. When the east wall collapsed, firefighters said, it severed part of the natural gas line. That caused an isolated natural gas-fed fire near where the meter had been on the exterior wall.

"All mechanical failures" were eliminated during the investigation, Muskegon Township Fire Chief Dave Glotzbach said. They also ruled out an active meth lab as a cause.

But their investigation concluded Wilbur intentionally set the house on fire. He was the only person in the house at the time of the fire and explosion, they said.

It's unknown exactly what type of liquid Wilbur used to start the fire, the chief said.