Coroner: 81-year-old Sumter man dies after house fire

SUMTER, S.C. (AP) - An 81-year-old man is dead from injuries in a house fire in Sumter over the weekend.

The Sumter Item reported (https://bit.ly/2iAK1GM ) that Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker identified the man as Freddie Hampton Francis.

Baker says Francis was found unresponsive Sunday night at his residence shortly after 8 p.m. The coroner says Francis was pronounced dead at Palmetto Health Tuomey Hospital in Sumter early Monday. An autopsy was planned.

Sumter Fire Department Battalion Chief Joey Duggan says the call came in at 8:18 p.m., firefighters arrived five minutes later and the fire was under control in about an hour.

Duggan says it appears Francis lived alone.

Duggan says investigators think al acritical problem caused the fire.

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Information from: The Sumter Item, https://www.theitem.com