SPANISH LAKE, Mo. — Police have released the name of a man who died in a Spanish Lake apartment fire on New Year's Eve.
The St. Louis County Police Department identified the victim as 71-year-old John Hendrix.
Police said the fire happened at about 6 p.m. Saturday in the 12400 block of Scenic Lake Drive near Spanish Lake Park. Officers from the North County Precinct responded to a call for help regarding the fire and found an apartment unit fully engulfed in flames with heavy smoke coming from the residence.
Officers were unable to get into the apartment through the front door because of smoke, police said. Fire personnel arrived and found Hendrix dead inside the rear of the apartment.
No other injuries were reported.
Bomb and arson detectives were called to the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. After a preliminary investigation, officials said on Wednesday that they believe the fire was accidental.
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