Dexter man dies in overnight fire

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor

Noreen Hyslop photo The State Fire Marshall will investigate the cause of a fire that claimed the life of 77-year-old J.H. "Bo" Taylor overnight at this home on W. Oak St. in Dexter.

A Dexter man died, apparently of smoke inhalation, in a house fire just after midnight Tuesday night.

According to Dexter Fire Chief Al Banken, J.H. "Bo" Taylor, 77, was found dead on the kitchen floor of a residence at 714 W. Oak St. after the fire department received a call from a neighbor reporting that the house was on fire.

"We received the call at 12:15 a.m." Banken said, "and when we arrived the fire was contained in the front on the home. We found Mr. Taylor on the kitchen floor of the home and he was expired when we reached him."

Banken said the man was known to have typically slept on the couch in the front living room of the home, and it was surmised that he awoke to find the home on fire and likely made an attempt to exit the home through the back door on the east side of the house.

"We can only assume that in the thick smoke, he became disoriented," Banken said, "and he collapsed on the floor of the kitchen while attempting to locate the rear door."

Firefighters were on the scene for over two hours. According to Banken, although the home sustained major smoke damage, he believed it to be repairable.

According to Banken, there was no evidence of a smoke alarm existing in the home.

"There was no alarm sounding when we arrived," he said, "and we did not find one in the area of the fire."

The State Fire Marshall from Cape County was scheduled to be in Dexter Wednesday morning to begin an investigation into the origin of the fatal fire. It is customary for the Fire Marshall to examine a fire scene when a fatality is involved.

Taylor's death marked the first fire fatality in the city of Dexter in several years, Banken affirmed.

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I remember Mr Taylor as a man with a smile and a hello for everyone. I used to walk in the park and it seemed lots of folks took the time to walk over and have a conversation. So sad to hear this news. RIP dear sir.

-- Posted by Dexterite1 on Wed, Nov 4, 2009, at 10:54 AM

I was so sorry to hear about Mr. Taylor, I used to live nextdoor when I was growing up. I wish that the radio and everyone else had gotten the address right because they have been saying 714 W. Oak all day and his address is 712 W. Oak, I used to live at 714 W. Oak.

My condolances and prayers go out to the family.

-- Posted by mamaoftwo on Wed, Nov 4, 2009, at 7:03 PM

Thanks to editor for removing that malicious post, it was uncalled for to say the least.

-- Posted by Dexterite1 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 7:20 PM