Fullerton Man Is Killed as Fire Guts His Home
- Share via
A 63-year-old man was killed Tuesday when a fire apparently sparked by a cigarette gutted his Fullerton home, officials and the man’s housekeeper said.
His live-in housekeeper and caretaker escaped from the burning house by crawling through a window.
Officials declined to name the man until his family was notified. The caretaker, Sofina Tabares, said the victim was a heavy smoker who suffered from sleep apnea and used an oxygen tank.
He was found dead in his living room after firefighters put out the 2:20 p.m. blaze in the 1700 block of West Avenue, said Fullerton Police Sgt. Linda King.
The victim smoked two packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes a day, Tabares said. “I tell him all the time, ‘You need to turn off that tank when you’re smoking because I don’t want to blow up in this house,’ ” Tabares said.
Tabares said she was sleeping when intense heat woke her. She climbed through a window while a neighbor called 911 after spotting smoke and flames shooting from the one-story home.
The blaze began in the living room, where the victim was found, said Fullerton Fire Marshall Julie Kunze. An investigation is continuing to determine its cause.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.
Madison McGhee is joined by legendary Dateline host Josh Mankiewicz and esteemed L.A. Times Reporter Richard Winton as the three of them dive into all-things Menendez Brothers, the good, the bad, and the still unknown.
NPR climate editor Sadie Babits talks about why the media has long overlooked the climate crisis, and how that’s starting to change.
