INNES – The charred ruins and a collapsed roof is all that remains of a home of a long time Pointe Coupee Parish public servant.

The 83-year-old Constable Charles Hopkins died Saturday night when the home caught fire.

“He was in the house and for whatever reasons, he attempted to get out and was unable to,” family friend Marvin Losavio said.

By the extent of the damage to the front of the home and from witness accounts, the fire appears to have started in the living room.

Firefighters have not yet determined the cause of the fire but relatives say Hopkins had a fire in the fireplace.

Relatives tell WBRZ that Hopkins had served the public since he was just 20 years old. He served 15 straight terms in office in Innes. Those who knew the constable say he was more than just a public servant, he was a family man who had never met a stranger.

“He was a well-respected man and did whatever he could for the community,” Lasavio said.