Authorities recovered a body believed to be that of a man killed Tuesday in a boarding house fire.
The identity of the man was being withheld pending positive identification, said Roger Smith, investigator with the Madison County coroner's office. Authorities now believe he was the only fatality.
Wood River Police originally were concerned there may have been more than one fatality because people frequently moved in and out of Teresa's Inn, 24 N. Wood River Ave. Investigators fielded calls from people concerned that loved ones or friends may have been staying at the boarding house.
Police also received a tip that a meth lab may have been operating in one of the rooms, Wood River Detective Sgt. Otis Steward said. However, no evidence of any meth lab had been discovered Wednesday, said agent Larry Washington of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On Tuesday, firefighters were unable to save a man seen hanging out a second floor window, screaming for help. Crews were could not detach an air-conditioning unit in the apartment's window to reach him. Authorities believe they know the man's identity and have contacted his family, but must find the remains in order to make a positive identification.
The apartment was occupied by Doug Kibby, 30, according to a street directory. A white 1985 Chevrolet Caprice bearing Illinois license plate, DMAC 11 remains parked outside amid the debris. It is registered to Kibby, according to Illinois secretary of state records.
Tenants of Teresa's Inn said Kibby was in the building when the fire broke out and probably was sleeping because he had been working nights, delivering pizza.
Chris Carr, who lived across the hall, said he believed Kibby died in the fire.
"Doug was a nice guy," Carr said. "He probably didn't know anything until he smelled smoke."
Officers worked through the evening and continued Wednesday contacting all the people thought to have been staying at the boarding house. Owner Teresa Stephens supplied a list of residents' names to police, and they also have been fielding calls from people with tips about others believed to have been living there, Steward said.
"From the beginning, we knew initially it was a multifamily facility. We had an investigation going on all day and into the evening, which was started again this morning," Steward said.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were working alongside the Wood River Police and Fire Departments Wednesday afternoon, making their way into the debris of the two-story structure.
"(ATF agents) do have a broad scope of expertise that does include fire investigation," Smith said.
While investigators continued searching for human remains, Smith said they also are working to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
"This will be a long-term excavation process," Smith said.
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