Autopsy shows man died before fire
Officials investigating the January apartment fire that was believed to have claimed the life of a 70-year-old man have determined the fire was actually an accidental fire caused by a medical condition.
Autopsy results revealed that Hershel King, who lived on the second floor of Village Square Apartments off U.S. 43 in Russellville, actually died as a result of a heart attack prior to the fire on Jan. 7.
Russellville Fire Department Capt. Steve Thornton said the autopsy showed King had no carbon monoxide from the smoke in his lungs, so he had died before the fire even began.
“We found a pack of non-fire safe cigarettes in Mr. King’s apartment and from what we can determine, Mr. King was smoking at the time the heart attack occurred,” Thornton said. “The cigarette either fell from his hand or mouth and ignited his couch, which is where the fire originated. King was found in the floor near the couch.”
Fire Chief Joe Mansell said the fire was contained to King’s apartment due in large part to the complex’s manager, Annette Wells.
“When she got to King’s apartment, she could see smoke coming from underneath the door, but after opening the door, the smoke was too heavy for her to continue,” Mansell said. “She made every effort to get to [King], but she just wasn’t able. She shut the door and immediately started evacuating the other residents.”
Mansell said the fact that Wells shut the door and cut off oxygen to the fire played a major role in keeping the fire contained and saving any of the other 49 residents from sustaining injuries.
The residents, who were mainly elderly or had limited mobility, were displaced for several hours before the building was deemed safe to re-enter. Due to the cold temperatures, they were transported by buses to the A.W. Todd Centre in downtown Russellville with the assistance of the Franklin County EMA, the American Red Cross, officers with the Russellville Police Department and both Pleasant Bay and NorthStar ambulance services.
