SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- An 80-year-old Navy veteran who said he once worked on Howard Hughes' security detail and was converting a warehouse he owned into a restaurant died in a fire at the building, firefighters said.
Penny, a 53-year-old caretaker for Robert Farnum who gave only her first name, said she smelled smoke and called 911 when she made her daily check on him Wednesday and became concerned because he had not picked up his mail from the previous day.
Farnum was found dead in the 15-square-foot wood-framed room where he was living at the warehouse, the only part of the building that was damaged, fire Battalion Chief Steve Sabo said.
Cause of death and of the fire were under investigation.
Penny said she had known Farnum for about three years, adding that he had narcolepsy and slept for long periods but also talked of spending 30 years in the Navy and of working for a time on the personal security detail for billionaire filmmaker Howard Hughes.
``Oh, he had wonderful stories to tell,'' she said. ``This guy was fascinating. He liked his privacy.''
