A man was flown to Seattle after he passed out from smoke inhalation and hit his head as a fire burned a hole in the floor of his home in North Whidbey Tuesday morning, according to North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Battallion Chief Jobie Gause.

The man, who is a senior with mobility issues, was found in his Jones Road home by his caregiver, who walked him outside and attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, with no success. The caregiver called 911 at 11:33 a.m. and the North Whidbey, Navy and Oak Harbor fire crews were able to put down the fire in 15 to 20 minutes, Gause said.

Because the house was filled with smoke, firefighters couldn’t immediately locate the fire, which was burning between the main floor and the ceiling of the basement and did not spread to the rest of the one-story house, Gause said.

The man is currently in the care of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he is in stable condition.

Had it not been for the caregiver, Gause said, the man could have died.

The fire was likely caused by a spark or ember that came out of the fireplace, falling onto the floor that may have smoldered for hours before the flames appeared, Gause said.