Man pulled from Salt Lake house fire dies

SALT LAKE CITY — An autopsy was expected to be conducted Wednesday on an 81-year-old man who died after being pulled from his burning house on Tuesday.

Just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters were called to a home at 665 E. Wilson Ave. (1750 South).

"The first crews arrived and found fire in the rear of the house," said Salt Lake Fire Capt. Tom Burckhard.

While doing a search of the home, John Newsome, 81, was found unconscious on the floor in the rear of the home. The fire was believed to have started in a bedroom, Burckhard said. Newsome was found outside the bedroom.

He was unconscious, not breathing and in cardiac arrest when paramedics attended to him. They were able to get a pulse by the time they transported him to a local hospital. But Burckhard said the victim was never able to breathe on his own and died about 11 p.m.

The exact cause of death was still being determined Wednesday, but Burckhard noted Newsome was not burned.

The cause of the fire was also still under investigation.

Newsome was believed to have lived in the house alone.

— Pat Reavy, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam