A Tuesday afternoon hay bale fire in northeast Missouri turned deadly. The blaze happened just before 1 p.m. Tuesday at a residence on Laurel Lane, just south of the Kirksville city limits. The Adair County Sheriff’s Office told KTVO that large hay bales on a trailer somehow caught fire.
When emergency crews arrived, the victim was unconscious on the ground near the front of the trailer, and a woman was performing CPR on the man.
First responders then took over CPR, but they couldnโt save the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said they believe the victim suffered burns or smoke inhalation, or both, while trying to move bales off the trailer to prevent the flames from reaching his truck.
Adair County Coroner Brian Noe identified the victim of Tuesday’s fire as Jeffrey McComb, 59, of Kirksville. Noe said McComb suffered burns and smoke inhalation. An autopsy will not be performed.
