Oct. 1, 2020
Officials believe a computer tower caught on fire and led to the death of an Adair County man last week.
Paul Krueger, 21, was in his bedroom on the second floor of his home at 265 Tamarack Rd., near Barnett’s Creek Rd., and his parents were in the adjacent room when the fire broke out, according to Deputy Sheriff Justin Cross.
Local officials and state fire marshals have investigated to try to piece together what happened last Wednesday night, Sept. 23.
Paul Krueger’s mother, Maggie Krueger, called 911 while his father, Niles Krueger, tried to get to their son. The first call to 911 occurred around 9:30 p.m.
Officials believe that Paul Krueger had pulled a chest of drawers in front of his door and locked the door, something that was not unusual for him to do. Krueger had a high functioning level of autism spectrum disorder, according to Coroner Todd Akin.
Kreuger used the computer for gaming, according to Deputy Cross.
Krueger’s father tried to access his son through the door and spray from a fire extinguisher but was not able to extinguish the fire. When officials first arrived on the scene, the father was on the roof after trying to get into the burning bedroom through a window.
Knifley Volunteer Fire Department worked the fire, with assistance from the Adair County Fire Department. Deputies Cross and Josh Durbin were also on the scene. Akin was called to the scene at 10:48 p.m.
Krueger’s body was sent to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Akin said the preliminary findings indicate that Krueger died from smoke inhalation but official determination will not be made until all results are complete.
Deputy Cross is in charge of the investigation. No local funeral was held and obituary information has not been made available.
By Sharon Burton
snburton@adairvoice.com
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