Latest: The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the man who died as 64-year-old Hanson Howard.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 64-year-old man died Tuesday afternoon in a fire at apartments along Michigan Road on the north side, the Indianapolis Fire Department says.

The man who died was not immediately identified. He’s the second fire death in the Indianapolis Fire Department district in 2024.

Investigators say the accidental fire resulted from the improper use of smoking materials.

An alarm company alerted first responders just after 2:35 p.m. Tuesday to a fire in a first-floor apartment in the 5200 block of Michigan Road. That’s at Mount Zion Suburban Apartments, located south of Kessler Boulevard West Drive.

Rita Reith, a spokesperson for Indianapolis Fire Department, said in a news release, “The apartment building is home for a large number of senior residents, many of whom have mobility issues and chose to shelter in place. Due to the fact that the fire did not extend beyond the room of origin, within the apartment, firefighters made rapid assessments to allow the occupants to shelter in place.”

Two occupants of the three-story apartment building received minor injuries, the release says. About 50 people were evacuated from the building.

The fire department’s victims’ assistance unit and the American Red Cross were working with the apartment managers to address shelter needs after the blaze.

Indianapolis Fire Department recorded 10 fatalities for 2023. 

This story has corrected the age of the man who died.