The body of a 22-year-old University of Central Arkansas student and basketball player was found Thursday by firefighters responding to a report of smoke billowing from the man's apartment.
Authorities believe Aaron B. Mackey was killed when the fire, caused by food on the stove, consumed all the oxygen in his tightly sealed apartment on Royal Lane off of Highway 365.
Constable Roy Lee Jones called authorities just after noon when he saw smoke billowing from the four-unit Royal Lane Apartments.
Authorities believe the fire started Wednesday evening or early Thursday. Because the apartment's windows and doors were closed, the fire "put itself out" and did not spread, Faulkner County Coroner Patrick Moore said.
"The way that place was sealed up, nobody probably smelled any smoke," Mayflower Fire Chief Chris Fishburn said. Three other apartments in the building were unaffected, and none of the occupants of the other units was aware of a fire, he said.
Moore was called to the apartments at 1:04 p.m. He said Mackey was found on the floor in the bedroom.
Fishburn said: "It looked like he was trying to get to a window" when he lost consciousness.
Mackey's roommate was not home. Moore said Mackey's death was probably caused by the fire consuming all the oxygen in the apartment. Mackey suffered no obvious trauma, Moore said.
Fishburn said the fire was very hot, bending ceiling fan blades toward the floor and bubbling paint on the walls. The kitchen area was the only room damaged, he said.
Mackey's body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory for examination.
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