Man who died from injuries in garage fire identified

By Mary Manning

Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 | 2:27 p.m.

A man burned on his back, arms and head in a fire earlier this month died from complications from burns due to a flash fire, the Clark County Coroner's Office has ruled.

Delbert E. Smith, 77, died Aug. 15 about two weeks after the fire, which was ruled accidental, a spokeswoman for the coroner's office said.

Smith was at his home at 1849 Spangle Drive near West Lake Mead Boulevard and Torrey Pines Drive about 8 a.m. Aug. 1, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department. He went into a restroom near the garage of the two-story house and heard noises coming from the garage, Szymanski said.

Smith noticed light smoke coming through the door from inside the house.

When he opened the door to the garage, he found it was full of smoke, Szymanski said. Fire investigators believe Smith let in a flow of oxygen to the garage, which caused the blaze to flash.

As Smith turned away, he received serious burns over 27 percent of his body to his head, neck and both arms, Szymanski said. When firefighters arrived on scene, they saw thick, black smoke and the garage was engulfed in flames, Szymanski said.

Smith told fire investigators he had lived in the house for more than 20 years. The man's death was the fifth fatality in the city of Las Vegas this year.