Poteet man suffers heart attack, dies while fighting grass fire

Poteet man suffers heart attack, dies while fighting grass fire

15 July 2011

published by www.kens5.com


USA — A 69-year-old Poteet man dies Thursday while fighting a grass fire at his rural Atascosa County home.

Fire Marshal Chuck Garris said it appears Leonardo Garcia suffered a heart attack.

“He might have thought the fire was out, and he looked out his window to see it burning again and panic and tried to put it out himself,” said Garris.

Investigators say it appears Garcia was burning trash at his home just outside Poteet when he tried to put the fire out alone with a garden hose.

Atascosa County has been under a burn ban since December.

Poteet Volunteer Fire Department Captain Gerard Herrera was among the first responders to the fire Thursday.

When he arrived, no one knew about Garcia.

“After about 20 minutes into fighting the fire, we were notified by one of the neighbors that she could not find her husband,” she explained.

Garcia’s body was found on the edge of the property next to a garden hose.

Three vacant homes were also destroyed in the fire.

As of Friday afternoon, fire crews were still battling hot spots and flares up on the property.


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