Authorities have identified the man whose body was found inside a Cleburne home that caught fire Tuesday morning.
Steve Doty, 53, whom neighbors said had no use of his legs and little use of his arms, became trapped inside the residence in the 500 block of Madison Street.
When the Cleburne fire and police departments arrived to the home at about 7:17 a.m. they found heavy smoke and flames coming from inside.
Firefighters later found Doty dead inside the home.
"Anytime that a firefighter loses a victim, it is difficult," Cleburne Fire Department Chief Clint Ishmael said. "And it is something that we will get together and discuss."
Authorities said the victim lived at the home with his 73-year-old mother, who escaped the fire and was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Investigators said the fire appears to have started in the bedroom where they found the victim, and they said the preliminary cause is an accidental fire ignited by smoking in bed.
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"It's very devastating," neighbor Aarika Moore said. "He was a really sweet guy."
