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Peter J. Talen, 23, of Plymouth, died in the blaze at 123 N. Bedford St., according to the Dane County coroner's office. The cause of death will not be released until after forensic examinations scheduled for this morning, the coroner's office said in a news release. Three other people were taken to the hospital with burn injuries, fire officials said.
Talen, previously a student at UW-La Crosse, was visiting his brother, who leased the house with four other male students, said neighborhood Ald. Mike Verveer, who spent much of the day at the fire scene and at the hospital with the victims and their families, he said. None of the other victims' injuries were life-threatening, he said. All three, including Talen's brother Andrew, are UW-Madison students, according to the university's Dean of Students Lori Berquam.
The brothers, a male roommate and a female friend were at the house when the fire broke out, Verveer said. Three other housemates were in Minnesota for Saturday's Badgers-Gophers game. Two were headed back to Madison on Sunday, and the third decided to stay with his family in Minnesota.
"This was the second year" the group had been housemates, Verveer said. "They renewed their lease. It seemed like a close group of guys."
Berquam also spent much of Sunday at the scene of the fire and at UW Hospital with the students and their families, she said.
While the victims are being treated for their own injuries, "the tragedy of Peter's death is the primary concern for them at this point," she said.
Peter Talen was an avid musician and performer, according to friends' memories posted on a Facebook group created in his honor. His MySpace page said he was just about to release a CD.
Firefighters received an emergency call at 5:35 a.m. and arrived to find the two-story wood frame home engulfed in fire, with flames "rolling across the front porch" and a snapped electrical wire arcing in front of the house, Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth said.
Firefighters reported seeing "people running from the house" when they got to the scene at 5:39 a.m., she said. The survivors escaped from windows near the rear of the house and reported that a fourth person was missing, Wirth said.
Verveer said firefighters found that "the smoke detectors at 123 N. Bedford were not in working order." At least one detector had been removed from its ceiling mount, he said.
Berquam urged all students to take a moment to make sure their own smoke detectors are properly functioning and in place.
