He had a short piece in last week's New Yorker on how "The Fire Balloons" was inspired by the fire balloons he, as a small boy, lit with his grandfather. It was a beautiful testament to his craft and his inspiration.
Lots of his stories are inspired by his family, hometown, and they all show up here and there in his stories. I always saw him as writing humanist sci-fi.
Sadly, behind the paywall: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/06/04/120604fa_fact_...
RIP