116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids man died of smoke inhalation, autopsy shows
The man whose apartment burned Monday morning died from smoke inhalation, officials said today.
The death of Rodney L. Noye marks the first fire fatality in Cedar Rapids this year. Firefighters found him on the floor near the door to a second-floor apartment at 901 Oakland Rd. NE.
Noye, 35, was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Linn County Medical Examiner Don Linder said Noye died an accidental death caused by asphyxiation due to inhalation of product combustion.
Noye's dog also died in the fire. No one else was hurt.
Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said a cause for the fire has not been determined. Investigators said it appeared to have started in the kitchen.
No working smoke detectors were in the apartment, which officials said was not registered with the city's Code Enforcement office. Cedar Rapids Housing Inspector Al Pansegrau said the property, which had been vacant for several years, was last inspected by the city in 1996.
Noye moved into the apartment within the last two months, friends said.
Buelow said working smoke detectors increase your chances of surviving a fire by 50 percent, in general.
“Would it have made a difference (for Noye)? It's hard to say,” Buelow said. “But it wouldn't have hurt.”
A benefit account has been established in Noye's name at Veridian Credit Union in Cedar Rapids. For more information, call 1-800-235-3228. Friends also have been commenting about him on this Facebook page.
FIRE DEATHS IN CEDAR RAPIDS (2004-present)
- May 10, 2010 – Rodney L. Noye, 35, dies in apartment fire at 901 Oakland Rd. NE
- Jan. 25, 2009 – Pamela S. Jones, 54, died in house fire at 363 26th Ave. SW
- Nov. 17, 2008 – Bobby Booker, 74, died in an apartment fire at 1524 A Ave. NE
- Dec. 1, 2004 – Cecile Cross, 83, died in a house fire at 1316 First Ave. NW
- Oct. 8, 2004 – Steven Dusz, 51, died in a house fire at 428 Sixth Ave. SW
- July 2, 2004 – Robert Lockhart, 48, dies in a house fire at 1406 N St. SW
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
People gather Monday night, May 10, 2010 for a candlelight vigil for Rodney Noye, who died along with his dog in a fire in Noye's second story apartment in the 900 block of Oakland Rd. NE earlier in the day. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)
Daily Newsletters