Vehicle burns in South Aberdeen with man inside

A vehicle fire in South Aberdeen on Wednesday took the life of a local man.

At approximately 11:30 am, a fire started within a van parked at the corner of Marion and Clark streets in Aberdeen.

White smoke could be seen coming from the vehicle, but by the time the first people arrived on scene it had turned into black smoke billowing out of the closed windows and doors of the van.

911 dispatch were called by a KXRO employee and Aberdeen Fire Department personnel were sent to the scene. Those on scene made attempts to open the doors of the vehicle, finding all of them locked.

A person on a bicycle indicated that a person may be sleeping inside the van, and Good Samaritans broke the drivers side window to gain access. Flames coming out of the window area made visibility impossible as the fire continued to burn. A woman ran to the area as the vehicle burned, and in distress stated that “Robert” was sleeping inside at the time.

A local resident as well as a business owner nearby arrived with home fire extinguishers, but flames had already overtaken the vehicle.

When firefighters arrived on scene, additional windows had shattered due to the intense heat coming from inside. As they doused the flames, items inside the van were exploding, sending shrapnel and burning items into the Five Star Dealerships parking area nearby.

Multiple propane tanks were removed from the van by AFD, and KXRO learned on scene that a person had been inside at the time of the fire.

Authorities have not officially released the name of the individual, although multiple posts on social media have pointed to the local resident named “Robert” whose life was lost.