LINCOLN -- A 78-year-old Lincoln man who was found dead in his home early Christmas Eve after a fire in central Lincoln has been identified as James Ihrie.

His death was accidental, according to an autopsy, the Lincoln Police Department said in a press release Thursday.

Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts

Officers were called to a home in the 500 block of South 39th Street around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday for a welfare check after a neighbor noticed water pouring from the sump pump drain on the front of the house and the windows fogged over.

When Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded, firefighters cleared smoke from the basement and search crews discovered Ihrie dead in a basement room where the fire had started but had smoldered itself out, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue spokesperson MJ Lierman.

The fire was contained to the basement, Lierman said. Structural damage to the home was estimated at $100,000. There were no operating smoke alarms in the house, a press release from Lincoln Fire and Rescue said.