Man in wheelchair dies in Kansas City house fire
A 67-year-old man in a wheelchair was killed Saturday night in a house fire in Kansas City.
The fire was reported about 8 p.m. in the 6100 block of College Avenue. The man was identified Sunday by his next-door caretaker as Freddie Hill.
“He was a sweet man. He was a gentleman,” said Yolanda Williams. “He would do anything for you.”
Williams and another woman in the neighborhood helped care for Hill.
“He’s not supposed to go like this,” Williams said, as a flock of birds passed overhead. “There’s Mister Freddie’s spirit.”
Williams said Hill had two out-of-state children with whom he had not spoken in decades. She said three other people lived in the house, and she believed one of them was treated for smoke inhalation.
A Kansas City Fire Department spokesman said that injury was minor.
Matt Campbell: 816-234-4902, @MattCampbellKC
This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Man in wheelchair dies in Kansas City house fire."