Pueblo Firefighters from 7 engine companies responded to a 911 call of a single family house on fire at 12:17 this afternoon.
The first arriving crew arrived within 2 minutes and found an historic two-story home at 128 Jackson with heavy smoke emitting from it.The home was reportedly occupied by two adults, one residing in the basement level.
The crew went into rescue mode immediately upon arrival and found a man in the basement area of the home. He was declared deceased on-scene by a representative of the Pueblo County Coroners Office. (Please contact the Coroner for victim information. The PFD does not release medical information).The fire in the 1881 era home was then quickly extinguished. Damage is extensive in the basement and it extended to the first floor of the two-story home.IMPORTANT: Some initial information that was aired by Pueblo Dispatch regarding the victim of the home re-entering the burning structure to retrieve cats has been determined to be unfounded. There is no evidence to suggest that this occurred. It appears the man was in the basement at the time of the fire, and that is where he was found by firefighters. This was attributed to confusion in initial information provided at the first 911 call.
PFD Fire Origin & Cause Investigators were called to the scene to work alongside Pueblo Police Detectives to determine the cause of the blaze. It is protocol for the Police Department to assist on all fire scenes that include a fatality. The investigation is ongoing.
The female occupant was transported to a local hospital for observation. At least one of three reported cats in the structure has been confirmed deceased.Due to the damage caused by the fire, the structure has been deemed uninhabitable at this time. ACOVA has been called in to assist the female occupant of the home.
Remaining Fire Engine Companies were re-distributed across the city during the structure fire to maintain emergency response capabilities. This is the first fire fatality in the City of Pueblo in 2012. The city saw one fire-related death in 2011.