Man Trying To Kill Bugs With Fire Sets Woods Ablaze, Dies: Police

A 77-year-old Michigan man found dead in an area of burned forest last week was trying to burn caterpillars and other insects when he accidentally set fire to himself and the woods, police said. The man’s wife told fire investigators he had used an accelerant to kill the bugs and the fire spread out of control, according to media reports.

The victim in the May 11 fire in Clare County in northern Michigan has been identified as Ethan Carl. The fire was quickly extinguished, and burned less than an acre of woods.

A neighbor who called in the fire around 4:35 p.m. on May 11 reported being able to see the victim “lying on the ground in the fire, but was unable to get close enough to … check for any injuries,” Clare County Sheriff John Wilson said in a news release.

Carl was pronounced dead at the scene by responding deputies and firefighters, The Morning Sun reported.

Officials said Monday that Carl was trying to burn bugs, WWJ reported. An autopsy will be performed to determine if he suffered some sort of medical condition that prevented him from escaping the inferno, WWTV reported.

Photo by Beth Dalbey / Patch.com