Firefighters discovered a man’s body in a pickup while battling a garage fire in Thomaston, Connecticut, on Tuesday and police are now trying to figure out who he is and how he died.
Firefighters responded to the area of 274 and 280 Prospect Street and extinguished the flames at a garage, then noticed a pickup with a man's body inside, Thomaston Fire Chief James O'Neil said.
At 9:20 a.m., police were called in and began their investigation.
The truck had crashed through the bay door of the garage, Thomaston Police Chief James Campbell said, and it appears the crash was accidentally.
"At this point, it looks like the vehicle drove through the front door of the garage, entered the garage, and drove through the south wall and at some point caught fire," Campbell said.
The driver died of fire-related injuries, authorities said. They have not released his age or name.
"We do know the owner of the vehicle. We do know the owners of the properties, the adjacent properties, but I can't give you a positive identification of the victim at this time," said Campbell.
Connecticut
The latest news from across the state
Authorities said no one else was on the property when firefighters arrived and the houses nearby appear to be abandoned.
For 12 hours, crews remained at the scene and emergency vehicles blocked part of Prospect Street in Thomaston, but the vehicle was hauled away late in the night, as investigators, including the state fire marshal's office continued putting the pieces together.
Authorities are now working to determine what led up to the crash and if the impact, fire or something else led the man’s death.
Plymouth and Watertown firefighters also responded to assist the Thomaston Fire Department.
