Burglar In Chimney Dies When Homeowner Lights Fire

A California man is dead after he got stuck in a chimney trying to rob a home and the homeowner unknowingly lit a fire, according to police.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said that 19-year-old Cody Caldwell attempted to burglarize a home in Huron, a small town near Fresno in central California.

Caldwell decided to enter through the chimney Friday night while the homeowner was away, police said, but got stuck on the way down. He was stuck overnight until the homeowner got home the next day.

When the homeowner attempted to light a fire in his fireplace, unaware that a burglar was stuck in his chimney, he heard a man scream, police said. His house began to fill with smoke, and he called 911, police said.

The fire department showed up 10 minutes after getting the call, and “the suspect appeared to still be breathing and moving inside the chimney,” police said.

Firefighters broke the chimney apart in an attempt to rescue him but found him dead, police said. An autopsy showed he died from smoke inhalation and thermal burns, police said.

Anyone with additional information on this case should call the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7687).