Man dies in house fire

A gaping hole remains in the center of the roof of Ward Eric Scott's home Saturday after a morning fire. Scott died from smoke inhalation, according to Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler. A Gaffney man was killed in a fire that swept through his home Saturday morning. Ward Eric Scott, 44, of 3627 Cherokee Avenue, is believed to be the first fire victim in the local fire district since New Year's Day of 2004, said Gaffney Fire Chief Nathan Ellis.

According to a press release from Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler, a newspaper deliveryman on his route saw flames coming from Scott's Cherokee Avenue residence at approximately 6:45 a.m. The deliveryman tried to get someone to answer the door while he called 911 on his cell phone.

Within minutes, up to 18 firefighters from the Gaffney Fire Department arrived at the scene, finding Scott lying on the back porch of the residence, according to the coroner.

"It appears Mr. Scott had exited the residence and was attempting to re-enter though a window when he was overcome by smoke," Fowler said.

Upon arrival, Ellis described the blaze as "fully involved," with flames already penetrating the roof of the two-story home.

"It was already going pretty good when we got there; the fire was already through the roof," Ellis said. "Most of us were preparing for shift change at 7 a.m. when we received the call, so a lot of us were able to do our best to put it out."

It took firefighters up to an hour to extinguish the blaze.

According to Fowler, Scott died from smoke inhalation.

The fire is believed to have originated in the kitchen.

As with all fatal fires in the state, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) will conduct an investigation. The coroner's office and Gaffney Fire Department are also looking into the case.

According to Ellis, this incident explains the importance of smoke detectors and fire sprinklers for all buildings.

"Not to say that if he had a smoke detector or fire sprinklers that this would not have happened, but in a lot of cases they do make a difference," Ellis said.