Man found dead in burned home

Firefighters thought the wooden house was empty as they battled aggressive flames that pulled it to the ground early Monday morning.

Only after extinguishing the blaze at 55 Poinsett St. on peninsular Charleston did they find a body on the second floor.

The body was identified Monday afternoon as that of Robert Nelson, 49, who lived in the area. An autopsy is planned for today, Charleston County Deputy Coroner Dottie Lindsey said. She said Nelson did not reside in the home that burned.

The fire started shortly after 5 a.m., fire spokesman Mark Ruppel said. He said the home, across King Street from the Food Lion plaza, was fully involved when crews arrived.

Part of the home collapsed while they worked, and all that remained later Monday was a white-painted porch covered in soot and a pile of charred wood and metal.

It took firefighters 15 to 20 minutes to extinguish the flames. Police blocked off King Street from Grove to Romney streets until about 8 a.m. as investigators worked.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Ruppel said this fire does not share similarities with the string of more than 80 suspected arsons downtown over the last decade. Those fires typically happened around the Septima P. Clark Parkway and usually began on porches.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594.