Officials release name of teenager killed in house fire Monday in Lansing

LANSING −Officials have identified the person who died in a house fire Monday as Michael Robert Pape Jr., 17.

Pape was found dead inside a two-story rental home in the 500 block of Rulison Street after firefighters had suppressed a blaze that also left two other people injured, authorities said.

The fire investigation could take weeks because the house was heavily damaged and is structurally unstable, Lansing Assistant Fire Chief Michael Tobin said in a news release late Wednesday afternoon.

Two other people escaped the fire by going onto the roof and jumping to the ground, fire officials said Monday. Officials have released no information about them, and their conditions remained unclear.

Neighbors called 911 after hearing loud noises and seeing smoke coming from the house about 8:35 a.m.

Firefighters encountered heavy fire on the first floor, with flames extending into the second floor, Tobin said Monday. It took them about two hours to bring the blaze under control and an additional hour to extinguish hotspots, he said.

Contact Ken Palmer atkpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.