Wichita fire authorities say a 51-year-old man died while trying to save his 75-year-old father from a house fire Tuesday morning.
13 units were called to the home on west 9th Street around 1:20 am. They found heavy fire in the back of the home and learned two people were still inside.
Firefighters went into the home through a bedroom window and found the 51-year-old. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Crews had to get out of the home because the fire was getting worse. They later found the 75-year-old man dead in the living room.
Investigators say four of the five people inside the house at the time of the fire made it out safely, but the 51-year-old went back inside to look for his father, and was apparently overcome by smoke.
“This is a tragic reminder of the overwhelming power and speed of a fire,” said Capt. Stuart Bevis in a press release. “When fire strikes get out and stay out. Call 911 and give arriving fire crews the location of any trapped occupants.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials say it started on the back deck of the home.Fire damage was estimated at $60,000 to the structure and $40,000 loss to the contents.Four people have died in Wichita house fires this year.
