One dead after vehicle fire in rural Tama County

First responders found a man dead Saturday while putting out a vehicle fire in rural Tama County, according to a news release from Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt.

Tama County Deputy Dallas Dvorak found the fire at about 3:20 p.m. after he noticed heavy smoke while driving east on Highway 30 near exit 204.

“He investigated and found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames south of the railroad tracks, in a remote and hard-to-reach area in the 3400 block of N Avenue, just south of Highway 30,” the release states.

The Tama Fire Department and Tama EMS quickly responded to the scene and began working to put out the fire. It was initially hard to tell whether anyone was inside the vehicle because of the thick brush and intensity of the fire, but after the fire department began extinguishing the fire, an elderly man was found dead outside the vehicle near the driver’s side. He was in a deep ditch that held standing water, according to the release.

The Sheriff’s Office consulted with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Tama County Medical Examiner while investigating the scene. The fire still is under investigation, but no foul play is suspected. The body has been taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

“This was a tragic situation, and unfortunately, a life was lost. I want to recognize Deputy Dvorak for being alert and quick to act when he saw the smoke. His response brought attention to the fire early on and helped keep it from spreading further into the dry brush. With how dry the conditions have been recently, his timing likely prevented a much larger and more dangerous fire,” Schmidt said in the release.

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