One person was killed in a house fire Saturday night in Okeechobee County.
According to the county’s fire rescue, at 11:24 p.m. crews responded to the fire at 3595 SW 21st St in the Oak Park community.
When firefighters arrived, they found the house fully involved with fire coming from the windows and roof.
Once the fire was knocked down, crews were able to enter the home and found one adult dead. The home is a total loss.
Fire Rescue said Patrick Buckley was using gasoline on logs to start a fire in the fireplace but a trail of fuel led back to a gas can and that set the house ablaze.
Buckley and his sister Karen Green managed to escape but her son Leroy, who was on the autism spectrum, was found deceased.
The house was equipped with working smoke detectors, Okeechobee County Fire Rescue said.
The Florida State Fire Marshal was called to the scene and determined the fire was accidental.
Fire units remained on scene for more than four hours to contain hot spots and to assist the State Fire Marshal Investigator. The Red Cross was called to the scene to assist the affected residents.
Man on autism spectrum dies in Okeechobee County fire Saturday. @WPTV pic.twitter.com/WUewZv92ey
— Jon Shainman (@JonShainman) February 22, 2016
