By Amy Huffman-Branham
Amy.Huffman-Branham@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE — A house fire claimed the life of a 76-year-old Jeffersonville man Friday night.
Jeffersonville Police Chief Tim Deeringer confirmed the victim lived in the home at 726 E. Court Ave. in downtown Jeffersonville, where the fire broke out at 8 p.m., but said the victim’s name likely would not be released until Saturday.
Deeringer said he believes the victim lived in the home alone.
“He was on oxygen,” Deeringer said. “And that didn’t help matters with the fire.”
Despite being on oxygen, Deeringer said he believed the man was physically mobile. The victim was found in the living room in the front of the home, the area to which the fire was mostly contained, Deeringer said.
“A neighbor called it in at 8 o’clock,” Deeringer said. “Police and fire got here pretty quick. When they arrived there was fire coming out of the windows. It was fully involved.”
Deeringer said Jeffersonville Police Department detectives were working with fire investigators Friday night and the home was being treated as a crime scene.
“Just because it’s being treated as a crime scene right now doesn’t mean it’s a crime scene,” Deeringer said, adding that while it was too early to cite a cause for the fire or the man’s death, there was no reason to believe foul play was involved.
