Man Burned, No Sign of Fire

A Bradley County man mysteriously catches fire and dies from the burn injuries, but investigators are baffled Wednesday because there is no sign of a fire anywhere in the man's home.

Bradley County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Bob Gault says this is one of the most unusual cases detectives have had in a long time.

A neighbor on Trewhitt Road called to say Kevin Steward, 54, was sitting on his front porch with burns from head to toe. There was no sign of a fire inside or outside the house.

Monday evening, Judy Gates returned home to the duplex she shares with Steward and says she saw something no one should ever have to see. Gates says Steward was skin was red and black, his hair was singed, and his clothes had burned off of his body. Gates says Steward had pieces of charred clothes in his mouth and was gasping for breath.

It's an image Gates is trying hard to forget. She says she grabbed her inhaler to try to help Steward breathe and then called 9-1-1. In the meantime, her son ran across the street where Steward's family members live to let them know what happened.

Medics arrived and say Steward was unable to tell them what happened. But his family says he suffered dementia and that prevented him from speaking long before this incident.

Medics transported Steward to Erlanger Medical Center, where he was airlifted to Vanderbilt. He died that night.

Wednesday, Bradley County detectives were struggling to figure out what started the fire. Gault says there was no damage inside the home, and no evidence of any chemicals or incindeary devices.

But Gates says there were some clues. She says Steward's burned clothes were scattered across the yard, as if he'd been running while on fire. She says she could also see where Steward had turned on the hose to try to put out the flames. Gates says she also saw a crushed lighter and cigarettes next to Steward's body.

The medical examiner says Steward died from smoke inhalation. But whether the death was accidental or suspicious is pending results from the TBI crime lab.

Gates and other neighbors are hoping detectives will figure out what happened to such a good friend.

"I'll always remember Kevin walking around the neighborhood and not the way I seen him on the porch," Gates says, as a tear rolls down her cheek. "I want to remember him bringing my mail to the door and bringing me a little debbie when my sugar drops. He was a very good man. Very good."