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SJI man dies after accidental fire

posted 03/27/01
Michael William Kelly, 62, San Juan Island, died last weekend after his clothes apparently caught fire while he attempted to light a wood stove fire.

"We believe this is a tragic accident," San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cumming. "It is so very sad for everybody. Will was well thought of within his group of friends."

About 5 p.m. Sunday, March 25, a neighbor found Kelly's partially burned body between Kelly's remote cabin in the 1300 block of Three Corner Lake Road and a nearby pond. "Our preliminary investigation indicates Mr. Kelly was attempting to light a fire in a wood stove with an accelerant, possibly kerosene, when the fire flashed and his clothing caught on fire," Cumming said. "He ran from his cabin and apparently attempted to get to his pond. He apparently succombed to fire on his clothing."

Cumming, deputies, county Fire Marshal Rick Galer and a medical investigator from Snohomish County investigated Kelly's death. They believe Kelly died some time March 25. An autopsy is being performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Kelly lived on San Juan Island about 15 years and worked as a logger, Cumming said. He is survived by his mother and a brother in California, a brother in Portland and brother in Massachusetts.