Man dies, his wife remains hospitalized after Wilton Manors home caught fire

By Angie DiMichele South Florida Sun Sentinel

A man died after his home in Wilton Manors caught fire on Wednesday afternoon, and his wife who tried to rescue him remains in the hospital.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crews arrived at the home in the 500 block of Northwest 21st Street shortly after 1:30 p.m. and saw heavy fire spreading inside the home from the car port area, said Frank Guzman, a fire department spokesperson.

Laurie Bloch managed to exit the home once, looking for help, and returned to try to rescue her husband, Charles Bloch, who could not walk on his own due to a fractured hip, his son and Laurie Bloch’s stepson Adam Bloch told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Thursday. She maneuvered her husband into a medical lift sling to try to lift him out of bed, but neither made it out on their own.

“They actually found him in the sling, but she passed out before she could get both of them out,” Adam Bloch said.

Firefighters found the couple inside and pulled them from the home, Guzman said on Wednesday. Both were taken to Broward Health Medical Center, and Laurie Bloch was later transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami-Dade County for burn treatment.

Adam Bloch, a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue captain, said his stepmother had been transferred from Jackson Memorial Hospital as of Thursday.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, but Laurie … she’s going to be OK,” he said.

Charles Bloch inspired his two sons to enter into a life of public service, with Adam Bloch becoming a firefighter and his brother an attorney and a Miami-Dade County circuit court judge.

“We’re both inspired by him to want to help people,” he said. “He was a great man.”

The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.