FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – A man who perished in a fire before Christmas in Fort Wayne has been identified.

56-year-old William Richardson, from Fort Wayne, died in a blaze on Dec. 23 just after 1 a.m. in the 7500 block of Bluffton Rd.

The cause of death has been determined to be thermal burns and smoke inhalation.

The incident remains under investigation.