A 67-year-old man from rural Osseo was found dead Monday morning in a car that burned in rural Eau Claire County.
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the man, who was found by firefighters and sheriff's deputies responding to a vehicle fire off Highway NN in the town of Otter Creek.
Investigation revealed the driver likely suffered a medical emergency, which caused him to drive off the road and into the ditch, according to the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office. Hot exhaust from the vehicle's tailpipe lit dry grass and weeds on fire, which eventually ignited the entire car. A neighbor reported seeing the car fire at 9:24 a.m., but did not see anyone around the vehicle when calling it in to authorities, the Sheriff's Office stated in a news release.
In addition to sheriff's deputies, others responding to the call were from the Wisconsin State Patrol, Osseo Rural Fire Department and the Eau Claire/Dunn County Medical Examiner's Office.