Death of 82-year-old man found after downtown Charleston house fire ruled a homicide

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The death of an 82-year-old man found after a house fire in downtown Charleston last Thursday has been ruled a homicide.

Robert White was found inside the house after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

An autopsy determined White died as a result of trauma to his body and Charleston County coroner Ray Wooten has ruled his death a homicide, according to police spokesman Charles Francis.

Crews responded to Addison Street just off Meeting Street between I-26 and Morrison Drive just before 7 a.m. with flames bursting through the roof of the home.

Fire also spread to an adjacent house but was put out. Smoke continued to billow out from the house and over I-26 for more than 30 minutes.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg also arrived at the scene to show his support for the first responders because of the seriousness of the fire.

Officials with the Charleston Fire Department say they found White unconscious and rapidly removed him from the home.

Authorities say the home was equipped with at least one smoke alarm but it could not be determined if the alarm activated during the fire.

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