Apartment fire in Richland County traps person inside building

One person has died as a result of an early-morning apartment fire on Thursday at a quadplex.

Ricky Lee Hayes, 58, died from smoke inhalation, said Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. Hayes was initially rescued by Columbia firefighters and rushed to Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital for treatment. But Hayes died at 6:05 a.m., on Thursday at the hospital, Watts said.

The fire that killed Hayes at 7251 Patricia Drive near the Capitol View neighborhood in Southeast Richland County was reported to the Columbia Fire Department around 5 a.m., said agency spokesman Capt. Brick Lewis.

The Richland County Fire Marshal’s Office has concluded their investigation into a structure fire from earlier this morning. Investigators have ruled the fire an accident and determined the fire started in the kitchen at the stove. Evidence suggest that unattended cooking was the likely cause.

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 6:18 AM with the headline "Apartment fire in Richland County traps person inside building."