BELLE, W.Va. — A man who was seriously burned in an explosion and fire at a home in eastern Kanawha County on Christmas Eve has died at the West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh.
According to hospital officials, James Selbe, 44, of Belle, was pronounced dead Tuesday evening. He had been transported to the hospital earlier in the day. .
The blaze was reported at about 11 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment on 9th Street in Belle. Nearby residents say they heard an explosion before the fire.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the blast. The state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating. An autopsy will be performed on Selbe’s body.