One Dead in York House Fire; Investigation Ongoing

By Desiree Parker Monday, July 26, 2010

Fire investigators in York County are still looking into the cause of a fatal house fire last week.

A 59-year-old man died and four firefighters were treated for heat-related illness early Thursday morning in a house fire in York County.

The fire was reported at 2:40 a.m. at a home in the 1000 block of Cary’s Chapel Road in Tabb, according to the county’s Fire and Life Safety spokesman Capt. Paul Long. The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s office later identified the man as Clinton Slade.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, one male resident of the home was outside and uninjured. The man directed firefighters into the residence where Slade was trapped, according to Long. The men encountered heavy smoke and extremely heavy fire on the interior, where they located and rescued Slade. He was transported to Hampton’s Sentara CarePlex Hospital where he later died.

Four firefighters suffered minor heat-related illnesses during the blaze and were treated and released from the hospital Thursday, Long said, and they’re doing just fine.