One person died about one hour before sunrise Wednesday morning in a blaze that tore through a ground floor apartment at the Westmoreland Housing Complex. No others were injured, according to a Eugene Police Department press release.
Flames from the downstairs fire engulfed the apartment immediately above it and also temporarily ignited an adjacent tree. One University student and two Lane Community College students were in the above apartment but escaped without injury.
The body of the deceased, found in apartment 2035, was identified Wednesday afternoon as 36-year-old Lane Community College student James Scott Butcher.
“He was not a University student. We contacted L.C.C. and they were able to confirm that he was enrolled last spring as a student there,” University spokesman Phil Weiler said.
Initially, Butcher’s standing as a University student was not clear. A representative from the University’s Office of the Registrar was able to confirm that Butcher had paid rent as a tenant at the complex, which was recently sold by the University, but had no record of any enrollment.
The Eugene Police Department Arson Unit and the Eugene Fire Marshal’s Office, who spent most of Wednesday on the scene investigating the fire, and the Lane County Medical Examiners Office have ruled the death as a suicide. The exact cause and manner of death have not been determined, Weiler said
“Frankly, I don’t think we’ll be finding out anything more for a few days,” he said
Professional help is available at the University through the University Counseling Center (541) 346-3227, the Student Health Center (541) 346-4441 and the Dean of Students office (541) 346-1160. The University Counseling Center also offers emergency service on a walk-in basis between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Those concerned about a friend or about their own feelings are encouraged to call the Crisis Line at (541) 346-4488 between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.
Jason Waters, a 20-year-old University student was in apartment 1947 around the corner from the fire.
“I heard an alarm going off and a lot of cracking and popping sounds,” he said. “It was a big fire. Eugene doesn’t really get a lot of these kinds of fires.”
At 5:28 a.m. on Sept. 6, Eugene Police Officers were dispatched to assist the fire department in controlling the fire.
Editor in chief Ryan Knutson contributed to this report. Contact the news editor at [email protected]