A 40-year-old Bloomington man is dead following a house fire Sunday evening on East Market Street.
The Bloomington Fire Department and Bloomington Police Department responded at 5:27 p.m. March 1 to a structure fire in the 700 block of East Market Street. Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a two-story single-family home and began extinguishing the flames while searching for occupants. During the search, crews located one person inside the residence, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dr. Kathleen Yoder identified the victim as Benjamin L. Duzen, 40, of Bloomington. He was pronounced deceased at 6:28 p.m. Preliminary autopsy results indicate Duzen died from carbon monoxide intoxication caused by inhalation of smoke and soot from the fire. Toxicology results are pending.
The home sustained extensive smoke and water damage, along with significant fire damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Bloomington Police Department, Bloomington Fire Department and the McLean County Coroner’s Office. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brock Merritt at 309-434-2359 or Bmerritt@cityblm.org
Residents wishing to remain anonymous may contact the Crime & Intelligence Analysis Unit at 309-434-2963, email CIAU@cityblm.org
, or text “BPDTIPS” followed by their tip to 847411.
