Richard S. Dale of 400 Mercury Drive in Godfrey was found lying on the floor of his hallway about 11 a.m. Saturday, by firefighters with the Godfrey Fire Protection District.
The Fire Department was called to the home after the Brighton Post Office sent an employee to Dale's residence to see why Dale had not been reporting to work, the Fire Department said in a news release.
Upon arrival at the home, the employee opened the front door and smelled smoke and saw soot on the walls. The employee then called the Madison County Sheriff's Department.
Firefighters arrived and discovered Dale's body about 20 feet from where the fire began. The Fire Department said the fire might have been started by an electrical outlet strip that was overloaded.
The fire did not do significant damage to the rest of the building as the fire appeared to have extinguished itself. The Fire Department said they believe the fire was "a slow smoldering fire" and a lack of oxygen in the home prevented enough heat to cause a flashover.
Dale appeared to have died from smoke inhalation, the release said. An autopsy will be conducted today. The Fire Department said officials do not know if Dale had a smoke detector.
The Illinois state fire marshal's office was called to investigate the fire.
