By Associated Press - Sunday, October 16, 2016

MILFORD, Conn. (AP) - A car fire that killed a Milford man has been ruled accidental.

Richard Weir was found dead in his car on Oct. 7 near the Connecticut Audubon Center.

The Connecticut Post reports (https://bit.ly/2e9XeFk ) that fire officials determined the fire started when Weir’s car went off the road, onto a boardwalk and then got stuck in sand.



Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal Gary Baker says in a statement that when Weir tried to drive out of the sand, part of the exhaust system touched the wooden boardwalk and started a fire. That fire then engulfed the car.

The newspaper reports it’s not clear why Weir could not exit the car.

The 72-year-old had recently been released after serving most of a three-year sentence for larceny from the Milford Rotary Club.

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