FORT COLLINS, Colo — A house fire that killed a man in Fort Collins earlier this month was caused by an "electric thermal overload" and has been ruled an accident, Poudre Fire Authority said Monday.
A man was found dead on Friday, Aug. 16, after crews from PFA responded to a house fire in Fort Collins.
Fire crews first arrived at the two-story multi-unit manufactured house located in the 4200 block of Gemstone Lane at 5:50 a.m. The home's location is east of South Timberline Road and north of East Harmony Road.
Flames were coming from the west and south sides of the home, firefighters said. While some firefighters put sprayed water on the fire from the outside, another group of firefighters went inside to search, PFA said.
During their primary search, firefighters found the body of 79-year-old Eugene Schwarz. The coroner's office said foul play is not suspected in his death. The cause and manner of death are pending toxicology tests.
Firefighters worked to ventilate the structure and put out any flames. Fire crews remained at the scene to control the heat and to keep tabs on the atmosphere in the room where the fire occurred, PFA said.
PFA shared ways to help avoid similar fires:
- Never use extension cords or multi-outlet converters for major appliances.
- A heavy reliance on extension cords is an indication that you have too few outlets to address your needs. Consider ways to safely power your life, perhaps work with an electrician to add more outlets.
- Remember that power strips only add outlets not power; they do not change the amount of power being received from the outlet.
Poudre Fire said they conducted a joint investigation with Fort Collins Police Services.