One man is dead after a fire in Spring City. Close friends say the victim lived in a camper in Rhea County because he had fallen on hard times.

Friends tell us that William "Butch" Fuson was a great guy who had recently lost his job during these tough economic times. Family members say Fuson loved living in his camper and now they're just trying to figure out how to move forward without him.

A large pile of charred remains are all that's left of William Fuson's camper in Spring City. Friends say Fuson, better known as Butch, died in an overnight fire that engulfed the camper that Fuson loved.

Investigators spent the day on the scene and friends tell us they believe Fuson may have fallen asleep with a cigarette in his hand.

Friends tell us that several cinder blocks lying in front of the rubble actually led up to Fuson's front door and that there was no sign that he tried to make it out of the front door during the fire. They also tell us that some springs lying to the side of what's left of the camper are from his couch which he slept on every night. Two propane tanks are also still attached to the camper and somehow did not explode during the fire.

But the fire killed Fuson and his dog Pokey. Friends tell us he moved to the property three or four years ago when his wife died after a battle with cancer.

They tell us Fuson worked as a trucker up until recently and spent his spare time working on cars. Fuson restored a blue car after a devastating crash and planned to remodel his friend's red car in the coming weeks.

His son tells us he loved waxing everything from his car to his lawn mower and that he always wore these thick sunglasses. Those sunglasses and his hair helped his friends give him the nickname 'The truck driver called the old white headed man.'

And the State Fire Marshal's office is in charge of the investigation and we're told it could take several more days before the exact cause of the fire is determined. We left a message for the investigator but did not receive a call back.