A homeless man has died after Pinellas County detectives say another man set him on fire over the weekend.
Deputies and firefighters were called to a homeless camp near Tampa Road and Eastlake Road in Oldsmar around 12:30 a.m. Saturday for a fire.
When they got to the scene, they found 60-year-old James Heffernan with severe burns on about 75 percent of his body. He was taken to a nearby trauma center along with another man who was burned trying to put out the fire.
Heffernan died Sunday afternoon at the trauma center, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
A third person who was at the scene and was not injured, 44-year-old Harold Rosenbaum, is charged with his death.
According to detectives, Rosenbaum and Heffernan got into an argument before the fire which then turned into a physical fight. At some point during the incident, deputies say Rosenbaum picked up a gasoline can and poured gas on Heffernan before setting him on fire.
Rosenbaum was arrested for attempted murder several hours after the incident. He is now charged with murder in the first degree.
