GORHAM — An improperly installed wood stove is being blamed for an early morning fire Monday that killed a 72-year-old Gorham man.

Rescuers pulled Alton Brackett Jr. from his burning home shortly before 3:30 a.m. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at Maine Medical Center.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said Brackett, who lived alone, was apparently asleep in an upstairs bedroom when the fire broke out downstairs.

He said there were no smoke detectors installed in the home.