Elderly Man Dies in Pasadena Duplex Fire

By City News Service

A 95-year-old man died in an early morning structure fire in Pasadena Saturday that was caused by an accidental electrical malfunction, authorities said.

The victim was found inside the front unit of a duplex in the 100 block of Carlton Avenue after firefighters forced access into the dwelling, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The alarm was raised by family members of the victim, who lived in a rear unit and heard smoke detectors, said Derderian, who added that a neighbor who heard glass popping thought the noise was criminal in nature and also called 911.

The family members attempted to rescue McDaniel but were unable to reach him because of heavy smoke, she said.

The unit was engulfed by flames and smoke by the time firefighters arrived, Derderian said.

The victim was described by his family members as active and closely involved with the community. He had lived in the unit since 1970, according to Derderian.

Neighbors told ABC7 his name was Abe Wright, a World War II veteran.

"It's sad. I mean, Mr. Mac was a close neighbor. He always came down for the holidays. He always picked out our peaches and made us jelly," Raquel Andrade, who tried to douse the blaze with a garden hose before firefighters arrived, told the station. "It's just sad knowing that such a great man lived there and now he's gone."

McDaniel's friend, 78-year-old Lester Wright, expressed shock at the passing of a man he knew since his youth.

"It don't seem real ... that he's gone," he told ABC7.

The fire did an estimated $300,000 in damage, Derderian said.