Police identify man killed in San Luis Obispo house fire

Authorities have identified a man who died Oct. 24 in a house fire in San Luis Obispo as 95-year-old Harold Pillow, according to San Luis Obispo police Capt. Chris Staley.

The house on Bahia Court off Johnson Avenue was “fully engulfed” and had likely been ablaze for some time before fire crews were alerted, SLO fire Chief Garret Olson previously told The Tribune. Olson said flames had spread to the attic, and crews had to cut a hole in the roof to access the fire, which spewed smoke throughout the neighborhood.

Angela Freberg, a neighbor, said an elderly man with limited mobility lived in the house with his son.

According to an obituary posted online, Pillow was born in 1922 in Central City, Kentucky, and moved to California in 1935. Pillow graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1942 before serving in the World War II Pacific theater, where he earned a bronze star.

Pillow moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly in 1950 and met his future wife, Joyce Louise Davis. The two were married for 51 years.

Pillow worked at the California Men’s Colony for 17 years and maintained a construction business on the side.

“He became a public figure during a conflict with the SLO city building department in 1983, and a grassroots movement supported him as a candidate for City Council,” the obituary said. “Hal always put his family first, working 16-hour days for many years, and will be remembered as a good and generous man by his family, friends and neighbors.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Police identify man killed in San Luis Obispo house fire."