By Sharon C Fitzgerald
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Copyright 2007 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc.
SPRINGDALE — Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a city man found dead inside his apartment Saturday afternoon.
James Longtin, 35, was found inside his efficiency apartment at 413 Ewalt Ave. in Springdale shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, Springdale police Cpl. Chris McCarville said. His body was taken to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for autopsy, McCarville said.
“The case is still under investigation, but we have no reason to suspect foul play at this time,” McCarville said Sunday. The cause of the fire was not released Sunday and remained under investigation by Springdale fire and police.
Firefighters were called to the apartment at 1:47 p.m. Saturday after residents noticed smoke coming from the building, Springdale Fire Capt. Blake Holte said Sunday. No flames were visible when firefighters arrived, he said.
The fire started in the main room of the 500-square-foot apartment, Holte said. Longtin was found lying on a bed and was dead at the scene.
“There was only one room in the apartment, and that is where the fire started,” Holte said.
It was the third time in less than three days that people have died or been injured by structure fires in Northwest Arkansas.
A man was severely burned Sunday when a fire destroyed his farm house on Leonard Ranch Road about four miles northeast of Gravette.
Samuel Hart jumped through a window to escape but was burned over much of his body, a witness said. Hart was flown to a Springfield, Mo., hospital.
Craig Elroy LaValley, 47, and Craig Karl LaValley, 22, were found dead early Friday morning inside their burned mobile home in Garfield. Neighbors reported flames coming from the mobile home about 12:30 a.m. Friday.
Benton County sheriff’s investigators believe the cause of that fire was a space heater located too close to combustible materials.
Information for this article was contributed by Dodie Evans of the Benton County Daily Record.