Burglar Dies After Getting Stuck in Chimney of Fresno County Home

A day later, the homeowner lit the fire not knowing that anyone was inside the chimney.

In the early afternoon he lit a fire.

The homeowner attempted to extinguish the blaze, but the home filled with smoke, the station reports.

The sheriff believes the suspect tried to get inside the house through the chimney but got stuck.

As soon as he realised there was a person in the chimney he extinguished the fire and called police, according to Fresno County Sheriff’s Officer spokesman Tony Botti.

Firefighters dismantled the chimney in an attempt to rescue the suspect. The homeowner worked to put the fire out as dispatchers sent firefighters with Cal Fire – Fresno County to the home.

The burglar climbed in the chimney Friday night to rob the home in the small city of Huron in central California, but became stuck.

A few minutes after the initial 911 call, “the suspect appeared to still be breathing and moving inside the chimney”, the sheriff’s office said. But the alleged burglar was dead by the time responders pulled him out.

The man’s body was identified yesterday as 19-year-old Cody Caldwell with the coroner determining that his death came as a result of smoke inhalation and thermal burns.