Disabled Man Found Dead In Indianapolis Fire

Dec. 9, 2006
After the fire was reported at about 8 a.m., firefighters found the victims body in a back bedroom, which was burning
Firefighters found a disabled man dead in his burning bedroom after neighbors reported the fire at his east-side Indianapolis home Friday morning, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

Investigators said they believed electrical problems caused the fire at Robert Thomas' home, located in the 200 block of Palmyra Drive.

After the fire was reported at about 8 a.m., firefighters found Thomas' body in a back bedroom, which was burning.

Officials said neighbors spotted smoke coming from the home, and teens who had been driving by called 911. Neighbors said they tried to get into the home to help the 31-year-old Thomas, but the fire was too intense.

"I ended up actually kicking the door in, and once I opened the door, there was so much smoke ... there was no way I could go in," neighbor Charles Harvey said.

Some of Thomas' friends said he used a prosthetic leg after suffering a work-related injury. Firefighters said Thomas' wheelchair was in the bedroom.

"During the day, he would use his leg, and at night, he was in a wheelchair," said Kristi Williams, a neighbor.

Police and firefighters were trying to determine how Thomas died, 6News reported.

Friends said Thomas, a military veteran and a father of three, was living alone.

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