By Katie Fretland
Orlando Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Sentinel Communications Co.
LEESBURG, Tenn. — The attempted rescue of a 55-year-old man after fire erupted at his home was hampered by the wrong address and a vicious pit bull, fire Chief Dennis Sargent said Monday.
Daniel Richardson died Sunday at Leesburg Regional Medical Center after firefighters found him in cardiac arrest in his backyard. A fire started inside his home by a pot left on the stove, Sargent said.
It wasn’t the kind of fire that looked like it would cause a fatality, but emergency responders faced a few obstacles when they were called to the residence on Montclair Road.
First, they were sent to the wrong location. A bystander noticed smoke and called in the three-digit address that was posted outside. The true address is four digits, and paramedics searched for the house on the wrong block initially.
When firefighters arrived at the house, it appeared empty.
Lt. Jerry Ponds and Engineer Ed Giese spotted Richardson in the backyard but could not reach him because of a pit bull. The dog bit both firefighters, and animal-control officers seized it for rabies testing. Results were not available Monday.
When Richardson finally was reached, he was in cardiac arrest. He was transported to LRMC, where he died.
“He could have gone outside and had a heart attack and left the pot on the stove, which started the fire,” Sargent said. “We don’t know.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine if smoke inhalation contributed to his death. It was the city’s first fire fatality in five years, according to Sargent.
“We feel very bad for the family,” he said.