Man dies in smoky fire at Del Mar home

A man died in a smoky Del Mar house fire on Friday, sheriff’s officials said.

A passerby reported the fire about 1:55 p.m. after hearing a smoke alarm and seeing clouds of smoke coming from a home on Luneta Drive near 15th Street, sheriff’s Sgt. Anthony Portillo said.

A deputy who responded tried to get into the home through the back door to search for victims but was pushed back by heavy smoke, according to Portillo. Firefighters searched the home and found the victim in a bedroom.

The man was rushed to a hospital, but did not survive his burn injuries, the sheriff’s sergeant said.

Footage from OnScene TV showed Del Mar Fire Department firefighters and paramedics attempting to revive the man in the front yard of the home, with those efforts continuing as they rolled him on a gurney into an ambulance.

The fire was contained to the bedroom of the home, officials said, and Red Cross was called to assist a relative who was visiting from out of town. A family dog was not hurt.

Investigators from the Sheriff’s Department’s bomb/arson unit were probing the incident, Portillo said. Information about the cause of the fire was not immediately available.