Smoke inhalation is suspected of causing the death of an 89-year-old Quitman man in an early morning fire that severely damaged his home, Quitman's fire chief said Wednesday.
Tim Pike said neighbors found Otis Goff lying halfway out his back door about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday as a kitchen fire grew inside the 100-year-old house at 65 Pine St. in downtown Quitman. The population of the Cleburne County town is 762.
One neighbor, who saw the fire, tried to reach Goff to pull him from the building, but the heat was too intense, Pike said. He said Goff was declared dead at the scene.
The fire was confined to the kitchen, but smoke damaged other parts of the house. Pike said that because of its age, he considered the house a total loss.
He said he suspected that the cause of the fire was electrical, but he had not completed his investigation Wednesday.
In addition to Quitman, firefighters from Gulf Creek, Hopewell and Rose Bud departments responded to the blaze and assisted in fighting the flames, Pike said.
He said icy road conditions Wednesday morning made it difficult to drive to the scene and to maneuver around the property on the slick grass.
State Desk on 01/21/2016