A Seymour man died Friday evening from carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation after a fire smoldered in his home for hours, a fire official said.

Patrick Warinner Jr., 69, was found unresponsive in his home at 111 E. Harrison Drive by a family member who went to check on him, Fire Chief Brad Lucas said Sunday. Warinner was pronounced dead at the scene by Jackson County Coroner Michael Bobb.

There was no smoke detector in the house where Warinner lived alone, Lucas said.

“It was a smoldering fire that we believe had been burning for a while, possibly several hours,” Lucas said.

The suspected cause of the fire, which was reported around 6:45 p.m., is electrical and likely started in or beneath a wall, Lucas added.

“There were not a lot of flames because when the house is shut up, the fire doesn’t get enough air to really take off, and we had it out within minutes,” he said. “You wouldn’t know there was a fire there if you drove by.”

Lucas said Warinner’s death is a tragic example of why smoke detectors are so important in saving lives.

“We can’t stress smoke detectors enough because you aren’t always going to see flames,” he said.

Also responding to the scene were Seymour Police Department, Jackson County Emergency Medical Services and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office.