Man Found Dead at Scene of Merritt Parkway Fire [Update]

Update 11:30 a.m., Friday

State Police have identified the deceased as Omar Valencia, 50, of Maple Street in Bridgeport. A post-mortem examination was conducted Thursday by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which listed the cause of Valencia's death as smoke inhalation and the manner of death as "pending further studies," according to state police.

A news release from state police says, "Although the death at this time does not appear to be criminal in nature, further investigation is being conducted to determine cause and origin of the fire."

Update 11:30 a.m.

State Police said late Thursday morning that they are continuing to investigate the death of a man found by a burning van on the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield late Wednesday.

State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said it was too early to say if another party was involved and if the man who was found severely burned and deceased by the minivan was the operator of the minivan. The man's identity, the manner and cause of his death and how the fire started also remained under investigation. "We're treating it as an untimely death.pending the investigation to determine what truly happened," Vance said. "We're trying to figure out exactly what transpired."

Fairfield firefighters found the minivan, which was in the right lane, fully involved with fire, and, after extinguishing the fire on the van, they began to extinguish a fire on grass and found the man severely burned and unable to be resuscitated.

First Selectman Sherri Steeneck released a statement late Thursday morning expressing regret over the loss of life and gratitude to firefighters for their "professionalism and hard work," not only in responding to the Merritt Parkway fire, but in preventing the spread of a fire at a condominium eomplex on Brentwood Avenue in Fairfield on Tuesday and their work in extricating a driver and two passengers from a minivan that had collided with a cement mixer on Interstate 95 a few hours after the condo fire.

"Having been a nurse in a previous career, I know that the emotional factor when there is severe injury, and particularly loss of life, can be as exhausting as the physical demands of the job. My thoughts are with you all," Steeneck said, adding that the work of Fairfield firefighters do is "always noted and appreciated."

Original story:

A man was found dead on the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield late Wednesday after Fairfield firefighters responded to a report of a large fire and explosions on the parkway's southbound side, about a half-mile north of exit 44.

Assistant Fire Chief George Gomola, the incident commander, said a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country minivan was fully involved in fire and that the fire had spread to brush and grasses along the side of the parkway. He said firefighters extinguished the fire on the minivan, and, when they began extinguishing the fire in the brush and grasses, they found a man who was "severely burned and beyond resuscitation."

Gomola said firefighters didn't find anyone in the minivan after putting out the fire. The identity of the man who died hadn't been determined early Thursday morning. "There was no one inside the minivan. What we didn't determine is whether the deceased was the operator of the minivan," he said.

The Fire Department's report, prepared by Gomola about two hours later at 6 a.m., said the deceased man is believed to be the operator of the minivan.

Gomola said a motorist driving past the fire was injured after driving into the back of a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant that had stopped in the right lane, which was the same lane the minivan was in. The car that had stopped about 75 yards south of the minivan was unoccupied because the driver, identified in the Fire Department's report as Elias Risola, had gotten out to see what was going on and if he could offer assistance, Gomola said. The driver of the Hyundai Elantra that struck the stopped car was taken to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport for treatment of minor injuries, Gomola said.

"The [stopped] vehicle was in the right travel lane, but due to the size of the fire, it was a distraction to the driver going by," Gomola said.

Gomola said the Fire Department was alerted to the parkway fire by a resident on Papurah Road in Fairfield who also reported hearing explosions. He said the minivan was "totally involved, fully involved to the point it was exploding" when firefighters arrived.

The explosions likely were due to ignition of the minivan's gas tank and transmission, as well as ruptured tires, Gomola said. He said extinguishing the fire was difficult due to magnesium igniting and causing explosions. He said firefighters had the fires on the minivan and grasses extinguished in about 10 minutes and that the cause of the fire was undetermined and being investigated by the State Fire Marshal's Office and Fairfield Fire Marshal's Office.

The parkway was shut down for hours, and Fairfield firefighters remained on the scene to assist the State Fire Marshal's Office in the investigation, Gomola said. State Police also are investigating, and the state medical examiner also was called to the scene.

A spokeswoman at State Police said about 6 a.m. that investigators remained at the scene.