Sheriff: Brush fire claims 79-year-old man’s life

BAXTER COUNTY, AR (KAIT) - Sheriff’s investigators believe a man accidentally died in an out-of-control brush fire.

While combating the fire Monday evening on Peace Valley Drive, a member of the Midway Volunteer Fire Department found the body of 79-year-old John P. Heenan.

Heenan, believed to be the property owner, was about 120’ from his parked 2004 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery stated in a news release.

“Evidence indicated that the victim had succumbed to the fire,” Montgomery said. “A portion of his vehicle was also damaged by the fire.”

It’s believed his death was accidental.

Heenan’s body has been sent to the Arkansas State Medical Examiner’s Office in Little Rock for autopsy to determine manner and cause of death.