Cedar Rapids man dies in house fire

CEDAR RAPIDS - A 43-year-old man was found dead at the scene of a house fire just before 6 a.m. Sunday at 215 22nd St. NW.

Greg Buelow, spokesman for the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, said two carriers from The Gazette found smoke coming from the home around 5:45 a.m. He said they tried knocking on the doors to try to warn anyone inside.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke pouring out of the roof.

“Initially fire fighters described the smoke as so intense they didn't know which house it was on the block,” Buelow said.

Buelow said the flames and smoke were concentrated in the living room, and the front window blew out because of the fire's intensity.

“The fire was well progressed by the time the firefighters arrived on scene. When you start to have windows break out because of smoke obviously the fire have moved along pretty well,” Buelow said.

Buelow said firefighters found 43-year-old Kerry Bye unresponsive in a back bedroom. He was pronounced dead after attempts to revive him failed. An autopsy on Bye is pending.

Buelow said there were no working smoke alarms in the one-story house. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The last fire death in Cedar Rapids occurred on Oct. 7, 2010.