LINCOLN, Nebraska — A man died early Tuesday morning after a fire broke out in a central Lincoln residence.
Around 1:30 a.m., the Lincoln Police Department responded to a welfare check at a residence near 39th and J streets.
A neighbor saw that the windows were fogged, and water was flowing from the sump pump drain outside the house.
Officers phoned Lincoln Fire & Rescue when they smelled smoke.
Firefighters found the basement filled in smoke, but the fire had already been extinguished when they arrived.
They discovered a 78-year-old man dead in a basement bedroom.
The fire caused approximately $100,000 in damage.
One of the 78-year-old’s neighbors, who wants to go only by Eric, said the man was incredibly kind.
“I’ve known Jim for about 10 years,” Eric said. “He became a mentor to me. He’s a pillar in the community.”
Eric said Jim was always there for him, through thick and thin.
And he was very involved in the Lincoln community.
“His immediate family will definitely feel his loss,” Eric said.
But he said Jim made the whole neighborhood his family.
“It’s a real, real tragic loss,” Eric said.
The loss is especially difficult amid the holidays.
“It is still a time for family and celebration,” Eric said. “But at the same time, we’re all going to be grieving, and it’s important to celebrate his life because he was a true hero.”
LFR and the fire inspector are investigating the cause of the fire; LPD is investigating the death.