Suspected burglar stuck in chimney dies after homeowner lights fire in Fresno County
Authorities say a suspected burglar has died after getting stuck in a chimney in Central California.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Pursell said a homeowner in the rural town of Huron heard someone yell after lighting a fire in his fireplace Saturday afternoon and alerted authorities.
Pursell said the homeowner tried to put out the fire as his house began to fill with smoke. Firefighters used jackhammers to break open the brick chimney, but when they got to the man he was dead.
Pursell said the man had been responsive when rescuers reached him.
An autopsy Sunday was expected to determine the man’s identity and the cause of his death.
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