OGDEN — Smoke from a house fire apparently claimed the life of a 78-year-old man early Tuesday morning.
A neighbor spotted smoke coming from a house in the 1200 block of Liberty Avenue and called the fire department about 4:30 a.m., Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Champion said.
When crews arrived they found heavy smoke coming from the rear part of the house. As they made entry they quickly determined the fire was coming from the basement, Champion said.
Just as crews were about to descend into the basement, they spotted Don Hansen lying on the floor of the main level of the house.
"There was soot all over him," Champion said.
Hansen was not burned. Investigators believed he was overcome by the smoke. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believed a problem with the electrical wiring in the basement of the house started the fire, Champion said. They believed the fire had been smoldering for some time, possibly as much as an hour.
Hansen apparently did have smoke detectors in his house but Champion said Tuesday he wasn't sure if any of them were working. But firefighters said the outcome might have been different if they had received earlier notice of the fire.
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