One dead in Modesto house fire

A man died early Sunday in a two-alarm house fire next to the Creekside Golf Course in Modesto.

Fire Department officials say they believe the man lived in the home and was about 60 years old. The man’s name was not released pending his positive identification. Two dogs escaped the blaze, but no one else was in the home.

Firefighters responded at 6:35 a.m. to the fire on the 2700 block of El Pasado Drive. There was smoke and fire coming from the home when firefighters arrived. They attacked the blaze and searched the residence. They found the man inside the home. Battalion Chief Hugo Patino said the man died at the scene.

Neighbors said the man who lived in the home that caught fire lived alone and kept to himself. He used taxis or rode his bike for transportation. They said typically the only time they saw him was when he walked his dogs. Some neighbors said they believe the man worked at or had retired from a cannery and his first name may have been Ted.

“Really, no one knew him,” Frank Sahagun said. When he moved to El Pasado Drive 14 years ago, he said, the man was living on the street. “He was a loner.”

A Fire Department news release said the cause of the fire and the man’s death are under investigation. The release said the fire caused about $250,000 in damage. Patino said 37 firefighters and other personnel from Modesto and the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District responded to the blaze.

The two dogs, one of which had three legs, were turned over to animal control.

This story was originally published March 15, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "One dead in Modesto house fire."