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28-year-old dad working on motorcycle dies after garage goes up in flames, officials say

Jace Baker, 28, died after a garage fire while working on his motorcycle, officials say.
Jace Baker, 28, died after a garage fire while working on his motorcycle, officials say. Facebook screengrab

A 28-year-old veteran expecting his second child died after a fire ripped through his garage, according to Michigan officials and news reports.

Jace Baker was working on his motorcycle when the garage of his Muskegon home went up in flames for unknown reasons on Saturday, Oct. 14, according to WZZM and WXMI.

He reportedly suffered burns to 95% of his body. An obituary shows Baker died Sunday, a day after the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.

Baker was a veteran of the U.S. Army and had one son, with a second child on the way.

“He was a family man and a hard-working father who always put everyone else before himself,” according to the obituary. “He was a selfless friend who would help get you anything you needed before helping himself.”

Loved ones commented on his generosity and kind heart.

“We lost a guy that would give you his last dollar, the shirt off his back and understood loyalty,” Steve Gilchrist said in a Facebook post. “Lost a veteran, a brother and a good friend.”

“You left your mark in this world,” Jennifer Goodrich Cerka said on Facebook. “You touched the lives of so many people with your kind heart.”

Muskegon is about 40 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.

MS
Mike Stunson
Lexington Herald-Leader
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. 
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