Man who escaped house fire dies after going back inside for his pants, coroner says
After escaping from a fire early Sunday morning, a Midlands man died when he went back inside the burning home to get his pants, the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office said.
Henry Hill Jr., 68, was killed in the fire, Coroner David West said in a news release.
Kershaw County firefighters responded to a 911 call about a blaze at about 4 a.m., according to the release.
As multiple fire departments arrived at the house trailer on Shivers Green Road, they found two of the home’s three residents had escaped, West said. The Ridgeway home is about 10 miles away from Lugoff-Elgin High School, and just outside of Camden.
Hill had initially escaped from the burning building, but went back inside, according to the release.
His body was later discovered on the floor of a back bedroom, and he suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his body from the heat, West said.
No other injuries were reported by the coroner’s office.
Information on how the fire started was not available.
The blaze is being investigated by the responding departments, which included the Lugoff, Kershaw County, and Fairfield County fire services.
There was no word on the extent of the damage to the home, or if any other property was burned or destroyed by the fire.
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This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 1:55 PM.
