LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Polk County Sheriff's Office is looking into the death of a 78-year-old man following a house fire Wednesday morning.
The call for the fire came in around 1:22 a.m. at a house located in the 7000 block of Green Rd. in Lakeland.
Six residents were able to safely escape the fire, including a 70-year-old woman, a 39-year-old woman, a 14-year-old girl, a 2-year-old girl, a 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman.
All were related except the 20-year-old woman who was the girlfriend of the 22-year-old man.
78-year-old Edward McLaughlin, husband to the 70-year-old woman and father to the 39-year-old woman, was found dead inside the home following the fire.
Officials will perform an autopsy to discover the exact cause of death
Three dogs were also found dead following the fire.
Stay with 10News for further details.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now.
Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
