A 67-year-old man died overnight after a fire at a San Antonio home.
- Man dies in overnight San Antonio fire
- Fire broke out at 13009 Newgent Road just before 1:30 a.m.
- Fire under investigation
According to Pasco County Fire, firefighters responded to 13009 Newgent Road just before 1:30 a.m. to find a single-story, wood frame home heavily involved in flames.
Two occupants managed to make it out of the home but one man was trapped in a back bedroom. Firefighters entered the home and were able to pull out the man identified as Jimmy Riley, 67. Paramedics worked on Riley before he was rushed to Bayfront Health Dade City, where he later died.
"(We) went inside with a thermal imaging camera and tried locating that victim," said Division Chief Shawn Whited with Pasco County Fire Rescue. "About 11 minutes after that they located him in a back bedroom."
Firefighters, meanwhile, managed to control the fire despite the rural location and nearest hydrant being about a mile away. Officials said Riley was an electrician and was working in his shop around 11:30 p.m. and may have left something on that ignited the fire.
"We don't know if he left something on, if something fell and got turned on, but [the fire] looks accidental in nature," said Whited.
Neighbors reported hearing explosions coming from the home, which prompted the call to Fire Rescue. Investigators said those explosions originated from acetylene tanks Riley used for welding.
One of those neighbors, Julia Newgent, confirmed what Riley's family members told us about him: that he was well known in the community for his trade and loved by many.
"He came over twice to fix whatever I had that needed worked on," said Newgent. "He was very friendly. Loved his grandchildren, spent lots of time with them riding around in the wagon."
No firefighters were injured fighting the fire. The State Fire Marshal's office is still investigating the fire.