The unidentified man was discovered Friday after the homeowner returned to the residence, lit a fire in the chimney, then heard the suspected burglar begin to scream from inside, KTLA sister station KTXL reports.
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A suspected burglar in Fresno County, California has died after getting trapped inside a home’s chimney, sheriff’s deputies said Saturday.
Investigators believe he had attempted to break into the home sometime during the evening hours of November 27.
Firefighters dismantled the chimney to try and save the suspect but he was pronounced dead at the scene. They were surprised to learn that the homeowner had set a fire underneath the chimney, unaware of the man inside it.
“A preliminary investigation shows that the suspect had climbed into the chimney overnight in an attempt to burglarize the home and became stuck”, the sheriff’s office said.
The homeowner reported that he did not know that there was anybody in his chimney prior to lighting his fireplace.
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The coroner’s offices removed the body from the scene and will conduct an autopsy to determine his identity and the exact cause of death, a sheriff’s deputy said. The man called the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department while trying to extinguish the fire, which had filled his house with smoke.
