Elderly man dies after setting himself on fire while smoking | News

Police say a Bootheel Missouri man died after catching himself on fire while smoking a cigar.

According to an email from Captain Jim McMillen of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, on Tuesday officers responded to a fire in the 700-block of North Kingshighway.

When officers arrived, they found 97-year-old John Yount suffering from severe burns.  A family member had extinguished the flames with a towel.

Yount was taken to a local hospital then transported to St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis where he died of his injuries.

A family member reportedly told investigators that Yount frequently fell asleep while smoking.