A 101-year-old man died in a fire in a family home in Trier on Saturday.
The victim probably died of smoke inhalation, said a police spokesman for the German Press Agency.
Firefighters were only able to save the man dead when they arrived.
They were alerted in the late morning after a neighbor who visited the man every day noticed the fire.
The house is a one-story bungalow that was heavily smoked, the fire brigade said.
The fire itself was quickly extinguished.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing, according to the police spokesman.
A technical defect that caused an object in the house to ignite is possible.
More precise information could not be given, it said.
In addition to emergency services from the fire brigade, rescue workers and an emergency doctor as well as an emergency pastor and the police were on site.
fla/dpa
