FULTON COUNTY, Pa. — A Fulton County man died Saturday morning when the tree stand he was hunting from caught fire, authorities said this week.
Raymond Seville Jr., 76, was hunting with his wife in a forest off Gem Road in Belfast Township when he decided to light a propane heater stored inside the stand in an attempt to get warm, according to the Fulton County Coroner's Office.
Seville's wife told authorities the heater quickly caught fire, and the flames spread to the floor of the tree stand. She said the smoke quickly became unbearable, and she began to try to remove Seville, who had mobility issues, from the stand.
But Seville's wife was overcome by smoke and had to exit the tree stand for fresh air. When she returned to make a second attempt to free Seville, she was unable to do so because the tree stand was fully engulfed by flames, according to authorities.
Seville was pronounced dead at 8:30 a.m. by Fulton County Chief Deputy Coroner Brian Barton.
An autopsy determined he died of smoke inhalation, the coroner's office said.
