NEW ORLEANS — Friends and loved ones passed by the charred remains of a backyard “mancave” in the 9000 block of Cohn Street to pray and pay their respects.
This is where Larry Williams, 64, died when the small wood-frame shed caught fire Sunday night.
Neighbors say they heard an explosion and saw flames leaping from the building.
“It’s my partner, man,” said Erroll Manuel who owns the shed, located behind his house.
He and Williams were watching a football game in the shed.
Manuel says he went into his house and Williams stayed to watch the rest of the game.
According to the New Orleans police, Williams was found on a couch near a space heater, and he appeared to be smoking.
“Those heaters are not to play with,” Manuel said. “He was sleeping on the couch, that’s what it was man. It’s just one of those unfortunate things that happened to him.”
Lionel Hester says he was also a frequent visitor to the man cave.
“We’d sit and watch the football games,” Hester said. “We’d mainly be into the Saints games. We’d have fun, you know. We’d sit back and have a drink or two with a little food and watch games, you know.”
Rosalee Williams said her brother was a loving person who enjoyed hanging out in the shed with his long-term friends.
“It’s just a tragedy that shocked everybody,” Williams said. “I’m getting all kinds of calls, all kinds of text, sorry for your loss. I just hate to see him go that way. That’s a horrible death.”
Williams’ loss is felt across the tight-knit Leonidas neighborhood. Hester said it’s a shame that he died in a place that brought him and others so much joy watching sporting events.
“Now the fun’s over with,” Hester said. “My boy (is) gone now. My boy gone. Rest in peace, Nut. We’ll meet each other one day, man.”
The exact cause of the one-alarm fire is under investigation.
It took about a half-hour for the NOFD to get the fire under fire control.
That’s when firefighters found Williams dead in the middle of the shed.
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