Family, friends deal with loss of man killed in Bullskin fire
Friends and family members of Donald Skelton still can’t believe he’s dead. Skelton, 34, of 692 Breakneck Road, Bullskin Township, died early Thursday morning when his mobile home went up in flames.
According to Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip Reilly, Skelton died from asphyxiation due to inhaling smoke and fumes.
State police trooper John Marshall said the fire began in the living room. He noted that nothing suspicious was found in or around the residence at the time of the fire.
Skelton’s neighbors, friends and cousin Charles and Kimberly Nicholson said they were thankful that he didn’t have his children, Nathaniel, Brandon and Alicia, for the weekend when his mobile home burned.
“He was a good guy,” said Kimberly Nicholson. “He used to come up here and visit with us all the time. He also had those three kids who come to visit him every weekend or every other weekend, and we are sure glad that they weren’t here when this happened.”
Charles Nicholson said that although firefighters seemed to think a lit cigarette in a couch caused the fire, he doesn’t believe that is what happened.
“He was here Wednesday night and said he didn’t have any kerosene for his furnace, so I told him to take some of mine,” said Nicholson. “But he said no; he was going to go home and pack his wood burner with paper and wood and have a warm night.”
Nicholson said he thinks that the wood burner overheated and caught the mobile home on fire,
“A couple of weeks ago, the outside pipe from the wood burner got so hot that it burned the back of his trailer,” said Nicholson. “I called him and told him that his trailer was smoldering, and he put it out.”
Nicholson said one of his friends, who is a firefighter, told him that crews found Skelton halfway out of his bathroom.
“If they found him the way they said they did, there’s no way that the fire was caused by a lit cigarette,” said Nicholson. “As soon as we found out that his place was on fire, I told Kim if he didn’t come up here, he didn’t get out.”
Fred Barnes, another neighbor and cousin of Skelton’s, said the 34-year-old man was just getting his life together.
“Donnie had his problems, but he never hurt anyone,” said Barnes. “He was finally getting his life together, and this had to happen.”
Skelton was born Feb. 1, 1969, in Connellsville, a son of Pauline Turney Skelton of Connellsville and the late Donald D. Skelton Sr.
In addition to his mother and children, he is survived by a sister, Terri L. Lowery, and husband, Jim, of Dawson; two stepsisters, Kimberly Lint and husband, Don, and Deborah Bevan and husband, Bob, all of Connellsville; and a niece, Tristi Lynn Lowery of Dunbar.
Friends will be received at the Vito C. Martucci Funeral Home, Connellsville, today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the hour of service, with the Rev. Dr. Marvin A. Watson officiating.
Interment will follow in the Normalville Cemetery.