HAYMARKET, Va. (AP) -- An elderly man died Thursday when fire broke out in his nearly 90 year old home, authorities said.
Because there are no fire hydrants, water tankers had to be brought in to fight the flames that engulfed the home in a mostly rural section of Prince William County.
Capt. Tim Taylor of the county's Department of Fire and Rescue, said firefighters arrived to find two residents _ the victim's wife and son _ in the yard who told them a third person was trapped inside. But Taylor said it was simply too dangerous to attempt a rescue.
``You had open flames showing through the roof of the house, coming out all of the openings of the house,'' Taylor said.
Firefighters later recovered the body of Henry W. Blackwell, 76, who authorities said was a longtime area resident.
The house was built in 1916, and while the cause of the blaze remained under investigation, officials said attention was being focused on a downstairs area which had a freestanding wood burning stove.
