By Laurel Rosenhall, Sacramento Bee

A Placerville man died early Christmas morning when his house went up in flames, according to authorities with the El Dorado County Fire District.

Firefighters arrived about 5am at the home in the 2800 block of Bryan Way in Placerville and found a fire well under way, said Battilion Chief Mike Pott. They were told one person remained trapped inside the house.

“They made entry into the house and the roof started caving in on them after being in there for a couple minutes and they had to pull out,” Pott said.

An hour later, a 67-year-old man was found dead inside the house, Pott said.

He said the home did not have a working smoke alarm.

“If they had had one there is potential that we would have had earlier notification and we would have had a better outcome from this fire,” Pott said.

Investigators believe the fire originated in the living room but have not determined the exact cause. Pott said the Christmas tree was not to blame.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s Christmas Day,” Pott said. “We are saddened anytime somebody passes away but right around the holidays is tough.”