TOWN OF SALEM - A Kenosha County man died when fire trapped him in his basement. Investigators were on the scene for hours trying to figure out what caused the blaze that killed a beloved grandfather of three. Family and friends of 75-year-old Robert Twomey couldn't hold back the tears Friday as they tried to make sense of their great loss. “He was a great guy,” Cheryl Twomey, the victim’s daughter-in-law said. The retired Illinois Bell worker was the only one home when the Town of Salem house he shared with his daughter and her family caught fire. “They found him by the back door crawling out like two feet from the door, and his shoes were there ready to go,” Cheryl Twomey said. Fire officials say the blaze appears to be accidental. It started in the basement and spread quickly to the attic. Twomey called 911 and even tried unsuccessfully to make it out of the house. “He tried to get out but he couldn't make it because he was sick,” Cheryl Twomey said. Family members say Twomey was a widower who loved to play cards and adored his grandkids. They say he was a fighter to the end. A family friend said it’s too hard to put into words the pain they are feeling. "I can't. It’s horrible. I don't know what to say. I can't,” family friend Lisa Steinmetz said. Family members said the thing they'll miss most about Twomey is his smile. He leaves behind three children and three grandchildren.