Man killed in Lakewood apartment fire identified by medical examiner

A 76-year-old man who died Wednesday in a fire at an apartment building in Lakewood has been identified by the Pierce County medical examiner.

Michael Stanley, of Lakewood, died of thermal injury and smoke inhalation, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office announced in a news release Friday. The office ruled the man’s death an accident.

Fire officials with West Pierce Fire & Rescue initially said the fire only burned in Stanley’s apartment. It’s still unclear what caused the fire. A representative for the fire department didn’t immediately have an update on the fire investigation Saturday.

Crews were dispatched to the fire at about 11:40 a.m. in the 12900 block of Lincoln Avenue Southwest. The fire was quickly extinguished. Officials said firefighters entered the single-story building and put out the flames by 11:55 a.m. Other apartments were not damaged.

Lakewood Police Department also responded to the fire.

This story was originally published January 7, 2023 at 10:11 AM.

Peter Talbot

The News Tribune

Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription