Man, 85, Dies in Garden Grove House Fire

An 85-year-old man died early Tuesday in a fire that gutted his rented bedroom and damaged other parts of a Garden Grove home.

Gilbert Edward Rodriguez was found lying on the floor just inside his room in the four-bedroom home in the 10100 block of Malinda Lane. Firefighters, summoned at 5:24 a.m., found Rodriguez, his walker behind him, after they extinguished the blaze shortly before 6 a.m.

An autopsy showed that Rodriguez died of smoke inhalation.

He had rented the room from Mary Ann McLean, widow of radio newscaster Spider McLean. She escaped the blaze unharmed, though her cats, Simba and Popeye, were killed.

Investigators said the fire began in Rodriguez’s bedroom, where several appliances--a space heater, a television and lamps--were used. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials have ruled out cigarettes.

There was a smoke detector, but firefighters said it did not have batteries.

Garden Grove fire official Jerry Halberstadt described the blaze as “smoldering, with slow heat buildup.”

“This fire probably had been burning some time,” he said. “There was a lot of soot on the windows that indicates that it was a slow-burning fire to begin with.”

The blazed caused about $90,000 damage to the bedroom and hallway and $20,000 to its contents, Halberstadt said.

Neighbor Ruben Arana, 18, said he was awakened by his frantic mother, concerned that the fire had spread to their home.

“I went into the backyard and put the hose to the house,” he said. “There was a lot of smoke and fire.”

Herman and Katherine Casto, longtime neighbors and friends of McLean, described Rodriguez as a quiet man who enjoyed visiting the senior center to eat and play cards.