NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — A St. Martinville resident is classified as the first death from Hurricane Delta.
According to the Louisiana State Fire Marshal, the victim was an 86-year-old man, who is believed to be the property owner.
The Cade Volunteer Fire Department responded to reports of a fire inside a large metal shed in the 1700 block of Smede Highway, Saturday, around 10:45 p.m.
Sources say the man had a generator running for hours inside a large shed on the property, that ran out of fuel.
The man went to refuel the generator but investigators say the generator was probably too hot and a fire started.
The fire department believe the man went into the shed to try and put out the fire, but never came out.
Firefighters found the 86-year-olds body inside of the shed.
"This is an incredibly unfortunate loss of life, we want all Louisianans to not only take the generator safety tips we’ve been sharing very seriously, but also remember simple fire safety tips that we promote often, especially ‘get out, stay out," State Fire Marshal Chief H. “Butch" Browning said.
For anyone who owns a generator, there are three main safety tips to follow:
- Don't place a generator inside of ANY structure.
- Don't place a generator near open doors and/windows (20 ft away from the home is ideal)
- Don't refuel a generator when hot.
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