A deadly fire swept through an apartment Wednesday morning at Century Village in Pembroke Pines, killing a 70-year-old man.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a call about a toaster fire in one building at the retirement community, only to see smoke billowing from another, police said.
Jean-Louis Trolliet was using an oxygen tank while either smoking or using a cigarette lighter, which ignited the fire in his apartment in the Kingsley J building in the 13400 block of Southwest Ninth Court, police said.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire on the third floor of the building.
Two nurses cared for Trolliet, one of whom was with him at the time, Pembroke Pines police Cmdr. David Golt said. The nurse was unhurt, he said.
Lorraine Kabbaby, who has lived in in the 7,800-unit retirement village for seven years, was returning from church when she saw ambulances and firetrucks.
''As soon as I entered I saw the smoke coming out and people standing outside,'' she said. ''My heart was pounding. I said a couple of prayers.''
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from Trolliet's building. They spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon in the clubhouse, and were allowed back shortly before 2 p.m., residents said.
The toaster fire in the nearby building was not related to the fatal fire, and was put out by the resident, who used a fire extinguisher, fire officials said.
Distributed by the Associated Press
