70-Year-Old Man Dies In Madeira Beach Apartment Fire

MADEIRA BEACH, FL — A 70-year-old man has died following a fire Wednesday at an apartment complex at 140 147th Ave. in Madeira Beach.

At about 7:40 a.m., Pinellas County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call from a neighbor who smelled smoke coming from an adjacent apartment. When she knocked on the apartment door, she saw smoke coming from beneath the door.

Deputies called for the Madeira Beach Fire Department and the Treasure Island Fire Rescue to extinguish the blaze.

Once the fire was out, 70-year-old William Barnard was located inside. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death but Barnard's death appears to be accidental.