Heavy boards covered the windows and charred wood lay mangled on the driveway of an Ypsilanti Township home Monday afternoon as Fire Marshal Vic Chevrette arrived to examine the remnants of a weekend blaze that left one man dead early Sunday.

Chevrette today said Roger Kwiecinski, 63, was pulled from his bed in the burning home and pronounced dead at the scene after authorities arrived to find flames enveloping almost 75 percent of the structure.

The Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s office has ruled Kwiecinski’s death accidental, and authorities believe he was smoking a cigarette in bed.

Todd Cook, 48, lives across the street from Kwiecinski’s home at 1600 Margarita and recalled waking shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday to loud popping noises coming from outside. His dog began barking and Cook looked out the window.

“I just saw fire in the back part coming out of the roof, “ he said, remembering how he jumped out of bed and yelled for his daughter to call 911. “I ran over there and I was bamming on the door and I tried to kick it down, but that didn’t work.”

Cook said he then turned and saw the siding on a next-door home melting and crumpling from the heat. He ran up to the door and knocked to wake the residents inside, and then immediately did the same at a house on the other side.

Melanie Robinson said she awoke from the commotion and ran across the street from her home, still in bare feet and wearing pajamas. Neighbors from all over congregated as fire crews arrived and began working.

Robinson, a long-time resident of the neighborhood near Grove Road, north of Ford Lake, said she still is in shock from what happened.

“There was really nothing we could do,” she said. “Until you hear the sounds of the fire, you don’t even know.”

Authorities said Kwiecinski lived alone and was the only person inside when flames began to spread.

Robinson said her neighbor was retired from General Motors and worked as a photojournalist during the Vietnam War.

He took pride in his work and several neighbors shared memories of flipping through a scrapbook Kwiecinski kept of his work, pages of articles and photos printed in the Military Times.

“He was retired, just enjoying life,” Robinson said. “Just a nice guy.”

Heidi Fenton covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heidifenton@annarbor.com or 734-623-4673. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.

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