Residential Fire Claims the Life of Elderly Man
A 75-year-old man was killed in a house fire Wednesday evening, authorities said, succumbing to burns and smoke inhalation from a blaze that gutted the first floor of a two-story home.
Peter Zantos, was the victim of flames that broke out at 11451 Ranier Court, according to Garden Grove Battalion Chief Keith Osborn.
Osborn said firefighters found Zantos unconscious on the living room floor when they arrived about 6:40 p.m. He was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was treated and later pronounced dead.
Osborn said the fire destroyed most of the first floor of the house. Apparently, Zantos accidentally bumped a stove that had not been used for years, turning it on and igniting some materials on top of it. The second story suffered heat and smoke damage, Osborn said, estimating the loss at $120,000.
It took about 20 minutes for 18 firefighters to contain the blaze. No one else was in the home when the fire broke out.
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