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Jerry Martin Ellis, 73, died of smoke inhalation, a coroner determined
NEED TO KNOW
- A man has died of smoke inhalation after an accidental fire ignited inside his home
- Jerry Martin Ellis — who was blind — was in his apartment when the oven accidentally turned on and caught his clothing on fire
- He is survived by sons Ryan and Rodney, his sister Diane Horne, and his poodle, Ginger
A man has died after an accidental fire spread to his clothes.
Just after 5 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, South Carolina’s Anderson County 911 received a report of a fire alarm going off on Jonathans Joy Circle, the county coroner said in a July 20 statement shared with PEOPLE. Firefighters were then dispatched to the scene, where they located one person inside of the apartment, deceased.
Anderson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim was Jerry Martin Ellis, a 73-year-old man who lived in Anderson.
An early investigation into the fire found that the victim — who was blind — was inside his apartment when the oven was inadvertently turned on, according to the coroner’s office. Ellis’s jacket subsequently caught fire.
The coroner determined Ellis’s cause of death was smoke inhalation, while several outlets reported the secondary cause to be thermal burns. The manner of death was ruled accidental, the coroner said.
As of July 20, the scene of the fire is under investigation by the Anderson County Fire Department Headquarters and the coroner’s office, according to the statement.
PEOPLE contacted the Anderson County Fire Department for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.
Born June 5, 1953, Ellis enjoyed the outdoors, including hikes in mountains and near waterfalls, according to his obituary shared by McDougald Funeral Home.
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He often listened to Creedence Clearwater Revival and Rod Stewart, loved The Andy Griffith Show and Little House on the Prairie, and staunchly supported the South Carolina Gamecocks.
He is survived by sons Ryan and Rodney, his sister Diane Horne, and his poodle, Ginger.
Read the original article on People
