OKOLONA, Ark. (AP) - Authorities say a man was found dead after a house fire in Clark County.
Elmer Lee Wells, 84, is identified as the victim. No foul play is suspected at this time.
The fire broke out Monday night at a house on Highway 53 in Gurdon. Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson tells the Daily Siftings Herald that passersby called authorities around 6:48 p.m. after seeing smoke coming from the split-level home.
Firefighters from the Gurdon, Okolona and Hollywood departments responded to the blaze. Okolona firefighter Jim Cox, who also serves as the town's mayor, says the smoke and steam from the blaze was intense.
Cox says the home's basement "acted like a fire pit," which made the fire difficult to extinguish.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)