Man Dies When Controlled Brush Burn Rages Into Inferno
CUSTER PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- An elderly man from rural Will County died Wednesday, after being overcome by flames while working in his yard.
As WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, police say Raymond Barton, 81, was doing a controlled burn on his large-acreage property in the 19600 block of Route 113, which backs up to the Kankakee River.
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Around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Barton and his wife were conducting the controlled burn outside on their yard and the adjacent property, when the wind picked up and blew the flames out of control, according to Will County Sheriff's spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer.
Flames surrounded Barton and he fell to the ground. His wife, who was uninjured, tried to move him with a shovel after he fell unconscious, but she couldn't reach him, Hoffmeyer said.
Custer Park and Braidwood firefighters extinguished the fire and attempted to revive Barton, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Joliet Herald-News contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
