By Ashley B. Craig
Charleston Daily Mail
KANAWHA COUNTY, W. Va. — A disabled man was killed in a house fire in northern Kanawha County Monday, and investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze.
Firefighters were dispatched about 4:22 p.m. to a house fire on Jakes Run Road in Frame after neighbors down the road heard what sounded like a pop or an explosion, said C.W. Sigman, Kanawha County fire coordinator.
The neighbors told him they looked out the window, saw the house on fire and called for help.
Half of the single-story home was engulfed and had partially collapsed when firefighters arrived, he said. Sigman called the fire “not survivable.”
Firefighters found the man’s body inside.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was older and was said to have an unknown disability, believed to have caused a mobility issue, Sigman said. The neighbors told officials they sometimes helped him take care of things.
A team from the state medical examiner’s office was on its way to the scene Monday evening. The man’s body was to be taken to the medical examiner’s office for identification and an autopsy.
“Right now, we’re focusing on getting him out of the house,” Sigman said. “We’re going to have the fire marshal come and try to determine the cause, though it will be tough because of the extent of the damage.”
Sigman said there was fire damage throughout the small house. It was unclear if the home had a working smoke alarm.
Fire officials said there was no indication anyone else was in the home at the time of the fire. No other injuries were reported.
Firefighters from Frame, Pinch and Clendenin responded to the blaze. Malden Fire Department covered those areas while those firefighters were at the scene. Sigman said the firefighters did a good job quickly extinguishing the blaze.
Copyright 2013 Charleston Newspapers