Body of homeless man found day after East St. Louis fire was extinguished
East St. Louis firefighters found the body of a homeless man a day after putting out a fire in the vacant structure.
East St. Louis Fire Chief Jason Blackmon said firemen found the man’s body Sunday when they returned to investigate what was left of the building.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye , Sr., identified the man as Albert Benford, 58, of East St. Louis. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:53 p.m. Sunday.
Blackmon said residents called the fire department saying the man was squatting in the building and may still be inside.
“We found him in the basement,” Blackmon said.
The fire near the intersection of 11th Street and Lake Avenue was reported at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
Fire crews arrived to find the vacant two story structure fully engulfed, Blackmon said. It took four hours to extinguish the blaze.
Blackmon said the cause and origin of the fire is not known.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 3:24 PM.
