AUSTINTOWN — A Riblet Road fire Sunday night likely was set by the man who died inside the house, police said.

Rick Pietrouski, 40, appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and authorities believe he set the fire intentionally in the process.

“At this point, nothing really leads in any direction other than that,” Austintown police detective Sgt. Ryan Reese said.

Austintown fire Chief Andy Frost said his department responded to a fire call at 3687 Riblet Road about 9:30 p.m. He said firefighters had to break into the home through the back door, but after entering they quickly extinguished the fire that appears to have begun in the first-floor hallway.

Frost said it was then that they found Pietrouski dead and immediately notified Austintown police, the Ohio State Fire Marshal and the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office. Frost said the blaze had spread to other parts of the home and caused fire, smoke and heat damage. He said the fire marshal took samples to determine if an accelerant was used.

An Austintown police report states that Pietrouski was found in a recliner chair with a gunshot wound to the head and the firearm laying on his leg, and there appeared to be gasoline on the floor of the home.

The report states that Pietrouski’s girlfriend arrived shortly after police. She told police Pietrouski had called her and was despondent. She told them she heard fire alarms going off while she was on the phone with him.

Pietrouski’s next door neighbor, Diane Drnek, said he had been a neighbor for many years and was a good one.

“He was a very gentle soul,” she said.

Drnek said Pietrouski and her son had become good friends. She said she babysat for Pietrouski at times and his youngest daughter often played with her granddaughter. She said he has two other children.

Drnek said Pietrouski ran an HVAC business and records verify that he operated Comfort Squad Heating and Cooling Services from the Riblet Road address. Records show the house is owned by Pietrouski’s father.

The fire marshal and coroner could not be reached for comment.