Monday 1 february 2010
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/2010
11:59
A dropped cigarette likely caused the SUV fire that killed a Pekin man on Wednesday night, Pekin police said.
Curtis S. Byars, 26, was found dead in the driver's seat of a 2007 Chevrolet Equinox in a parking lot at the intersection of Fifth and Court streets.
Firefighters were called to the fire about 10:05 p.m. Wednesday and found the interior engulfed by flames and smoke. They didn't realize someone was in the SUV until after extinguishing the blaze, authorities said.
The Bradley graduate was pronounced dead at the scene about 10:50 p.m.
Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover said the preliminary cause of death was smoke and soot inhalation. Conover said Byars probably would have been unconscious from the smoke before his body was burned.
The fire was being investigated by the Pekin police and fire departments and the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office.
Initially, Pekin police explored the death as a possible homicide. But on Friday, Detective Mike Sanders said it looks accidental.
"If there was foul play involved, we wanted to make sure we looked at that first," Sanders said. "Now it's looking more like a cigarette or the lighter caught something on fire."The SUV was owned by Byars' sister, whom Sanders did not name.
Sanders said Byars and his sister were with friends at a nearby bar or bars before the SUV was reported on fire. It was unknown how long Byars had been away from the group or why he had gone out to the SUV, but Sanders said a lighter and cigarettes were found under the center console in the badly burned and melted interior.
The fire appears to have started near the center console between the driver and passenger seats in the front, Sanders said.
Authorities are awaiting toxicology test results to determine how much of a factor alcohol may have played in the incident, Sanders said.
Sanders said police also were seeking video surveillance footage from inside bars across the street from the parking lot to find out when and where Byars was last seen before the blaze.
Byars was back in his hometown of Pekin after earning a graduate degree at the University of Alabama. Byars was searching for a teaching job, according to Dan Smith, director of forensics in the Department of Communication at Bradley.
While earning a bachelor's degree at Bradley, Byars won several awards as a member of Bradley's nationally successful speech team, which is coached by Smith. Byars also was involved in speech competitions while attending Pekin Community High School.
Curtis S. Byars, 26, was found dead in the driver's seat of a 2007 Chevrolet Equinox in a parking lot at the intersection of Fifth and Court streets.
Firefighters were called to the fire about 10:05 p.m. Wednesday and found the interior engulfed by flames and smoke. They didn't realize someone was in the SUV until after extinguishing the blaze, authorities said.
The Bradley graduate was pronounced dead at the scene about 10:50 p.m.
Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover said the preliminary cause of death was smoke and soot inhalation. Conover said Byars probably would have been unconscious from the smoke before his body was burned.
The fire was being investigated by the Pekin police and fire departments and the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office.
Initially, Pekin police explored the death as a possible homicide. But on Friday, Detective Mike Sanders said it looks accidental.
"If there was foul play involved, we wanted to make sure we looked at that first," Sanders said. "Now it's looking more like a cigarette or the lighter caught something on fire."The SUV was owned by Byars' sister, whom Sanders did not name.
Sanders said Byars and his sister were with friends at a nearby bar or bars before the SUV was reported on fire. It was unknown how long Byars had been away from the group or why he had gone out to the SUV, but Sanders said a lighter and cigarettes were found under the center console in the badly burned and melted interior.
The fire appears to have started near the center console between the driver and passenger seats in the front, Sanders said.
Authorities are awaiting toxicology test results to determine how much of a factor alcohol may have played in the incident, Sanders said.
Sanders said police also were seeking video surveillance footage from inside bars across the street from the parking lot to find out when and where Byars was last seen before the blaze.
Byars was back in his hometown of Pekin after earning a graduate degree at the University of Alabama. Byars was searching for a teaching job, according to Dan Smith, director of forensics in the Department of Communication at Bradley.
While earning a bachelor's degree at Bradley, Byars won several awards as a member of Bradley's nationally successful speech team, which is coached by Smith. Byars also was involved in speech competitions while attending Pekin Community High School.
