NORTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. (AP) -- A distraught 60-year-old man died in a blaze inside his house Thursday, and authorities believe he set the fire intending to take his own life.
Police responded to a house on North Jackson Avenue at 9 a.m. and found heavy smoke billowing from inside. An occupant of the house, Pushpa Patel, told police her husband, Kanti Patel, was still inside.
Police tried to enter the burning building, but were driven back by flames, heat and smoke, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said.
When firefighters were able to enter the house, they found Kanti Patel's severely burned body on the floor.
The victim's wife told police she saw her husband go into the house carrying what appeared to be a container of gasoline. A short time later, she heard him scream, and heard the smoke detector go off. When she ran to see what had happened, the kitchen was engulfed in flames, Forrest said.
Arson investigators found the remains of two red plastic gasoline containers on the kitchen floor, and noticed a strong smell of gasoline around Patel's body.
Forrest said a substantial amount of gasoline was either spilled or poured on the victim, and was possibly ignited by the pilot light on the kitchen stove.
Patel was suffering from depression and was under a doctor's care, the prosecutor said. A note found at the scene also indicated that Patel intended to commit suicide, Forrest said.
