Fairfield man found dead by firefighters

FAIRFIELD ? A Fairfield man was found dead Sunday after firefighters entered his home to extinguish a fire.

Fairfield firefighters discovered the body of Richard Hendershot, 56, shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday at 800 N. 12th St. in Fairfield. Fire chief Scott Vaughan said firefighters received a call at 2:09 p.m., and spent the next three hours throwing water on the house and setting up fans to rid it of smoke.

Vaughan said no one else was in the house at the time and that there were no other injuries.

?We got the fire knocked down within 45 minutes to an hour of our arrival,? Vaughan said.

The firefighters went inside the house to put out fires in the walls and on the second story. Vaughan said the fire did not spread to the attic.

?When we arrived, we saw moderate to heavy smoke but no visible flames, so we went ahead with an interior attack,? said the fire chief. ?If a fire is too advanced, we won?t send people inside; we?ll fight it from the outside.?

Vaughan said the firefighters were able to salvage the house thanks in part to putting a positive pressure fan inside, which blew the smoke outside.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The State Fire Marshal?s office and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation are on scene today investigating Hendershot?s death.

The Ledger will report more details of the case as they become available.