Smoke Kills California Man, 65, in Trailer Fire

After his mattress caught fire, a 65-year-old man died early Monday in his trailer in South San Jose.

The man, whose identity was not released, apparently was sleeping in the trailer and succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning from the smoke, fire officials said.

Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies were patrolling the area when they noticed smoke emerging from a trailer parked near a trucking business at 2185 Stone Ave. and alerted the fire department.

When San Jose firefighters arrived about 1 a.m., they discovered the futon mattress the man had been sleeping on engulfed in flames. It apparently had been ignited by an electric heater nearby. The fire was extinguished within five minutes. A smoke detector was found lying on the floor without batteries.

Fire Capt. Allison Cabral said the case served as a reminder to residents to have functioning smoke alarms.

``People improve the chance of survival 40 to 50 percent by having a working smoke detector at home,'' said Cabral, citing statistics by the National Fire Protection Association.

No other injuries were reported, and damage was estimated at $8,000.