Man Killed In Early Morning Fire In North Dallas
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A van in a storage unit in the 11200 block of Goodnight Lane caught fire Monday morning, burning a man to death who was sleeping in it, Dallas Fire officials said.
Dallas Fire Rescue received an emergency call at 6:23 a.m. concerning the fire at the strip of business and storage facilities and dispatched units to put it out. When fire fighters arrived, smoke was coming from the rolling door of a single unit. They opened the door for ventilation and found a van parked inside on fire.
Responders quickly put the fire out before it spread to any other units. They found the man's body after searching the charred van.
Fire investigators determined that the blaze was accidental, and that it originated from inside the van, not within the engine compartment or under the hood, officials said. It appears, investigators said, that the fire was caused as a "result of the careless use of a cigarette."
Investigators are working to determine if the man was renting the unit or if he was just squatting there for the night. The owner of the facility told fire officials that the man was homeless. The victim's cause of death is under investigation by the Dallas County Medical Examiner, but foul play does not appear to be a factor, investigators said.
