An 83-year-old man died in a fire and his 82-year-old wife collapsed, unconscious, a few feet from their home’s front door, which they couldn’t open from the inside without a key, Denver fire officials said.
“These double-keyed deadbolts can be deadly and it may have prevented this elderly couple from getting out of the house,” said department spokesman Phil Champagne. “They forget where the key is and they can’t open the door.”
The man was overcome by smoke after a blaze broke out at the back of his house at 675 S. Alcott St. at 6:30 p.m. Friday, blocking the elderly couple from their usual exit door, Champagne said.
Raylene Smith, an investigator for the Denver coroner’s office, confirmed that an 83-year-old man was killed.
Neighbors identified the victim as Onecimo Joseph Blea, a retired freighting company manager. His wife, Minnie Blea, was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, according to authorities.
Firefighters were called to the home after neighbors saw smoke rising from the back, said Heather Green, a Denver fire spokeswoman.
Twelve-year-old Alan Estrada, who lives next door, said his uncle rushed into his house and yelled, “Get out. Get out. The house next door is on fire.”
“I saw flames coming out of the windows,” Estrada said.
The fire got so hot inside the house that a commander ordered firefighters to leave the home and fight it from outside for several minutes, Green said. They put out the fire in about 25 minutes, she said.
Green said it is unclear what caused the fire, which started in the rear of the home where an addition had been built.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
