A 19-year-old man died from smoke inhalation after the fire was lit by an unsuspecting homeowner in Fresno county, California

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A suspected burglar who attempted to enter a home in California through the chimney has died after the homeowner lit a fire without realising the intruder was inside, police said.



The man appeared to have climbed into the chimney on Friday night while the owner was away and then became stuck, according to the Fresno county sheriff’s office.

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The owner of the home in Huron, a small town in Fresno county, lit a fire in his fireplace on Saturday afternoon but then heard a man yelling inside the chimney as the house filled with smoke, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The homeowner tried to extinguish the flames but firefighters who dismantled the chimney with drills and chisels during a rescue effort found the suspect dead inside, the sheriff’s office said.

The deceased man was identified by the coroner’s office as Cody Caldwell, aged 19. The cause of death was determined to be smoke inhalation and burns.

Officers told local news channel KGPE that there had been other break-ins in the area recently, but they did not know if the suspect was responsible for those crimes.

“I’ve been a deputy for 17 years now and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Jake Jensen of the sheriffs office.