Watch CBS News

Firefighters Find Military Veteran Dead In Burning Long Beach Home

LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – A retired Army veteran was found dead in a Long Beach house fire Wednesday night.

At 9:57 p.m., Long Beach Fire Department crews were dispatched to a house fire in the 3000 block of Fashion Avenue. On arrival, they found flames shooting from the house and were told by neighbors that someone may still be inside.

They searched the home and found a man dead in one of the bedrooms, a fire department spokesperson said. He was later identified to CBS2 by his wife as 66-year-old Herb Limoges. His wife, Elsie Narvaez, who lives separately from Limoges, said he was retired after working for Veterans Affairs for several decades.

A couple who rent a separate room in the back of the home safely escaped. The fire was knocked down within about 10 minutes. The bedroom where Limoges was found and a portion of the hallway were badly burned, the fire department said.

Neighbor Ava Anderson said she had just talked to Limoges earlier this week.

"He had just said hello, and I was rather surprised, because he stays to himself, but I know that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder," Anderson said.

Narvaez told CBS2 that her husband was a smoker. It was unclear if any smoke detectors went off, LAFD said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.