FORT SMITH — A fire destroyed a Fort Smith home over the weekend and killed the occupant, 74-year-old James E. Ballard, according to a fire department report.
Firefighters were called to Ballard’s home at 1021 N. 49th St. about 11 p.m. Saturday and found the front of the house engulfed in flames, according to the report.
Firefighters initially were told the fire was in the 200 block of North 49th Street. After finding no fire, they followed smoke to the site of the fire, according to the Fort Smith Fire Departmentreport.
Firefighters found Ballard’s body in an office-type room next to the living room where Fort Smith Fire Marshal Ronnie Rogers said the fire is believed to have started.
Rogers said Monday he won’t determine a cause for the fire until analysis is completed on evidence he sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock.
Fort Smith police spokesman Cpl. Steven Dooly said Ballard’s body was sent to the Arkansas State medical examiner’s office for autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 06/26/2012