The Champaign Fire Department responded to a fire in a residence at 4309 Stonebridge Ct., May 26, 2022, at 2:06 a.m. Firefighters deployed multiple hose lines and worked from outside the home to extinguish the fire and protect nearby homes.
Once on the scene that morning, firefighters were informed that one occupant remained unaccounted for and was possibly in the home. Despite attempts by firefighters, only limited searches could be performed as the structure was heavily damaged by fire and unstable in many areas.
On May 26, the Champaign Fire Department supervised the controlled demolition of the structure by a contractor. As the structure was brought down and made safer to search, crews continued to search through the debris for the missing occupant. The search performed that day did not reveal the location of the missing individual.
Earlier today, demolition contractors returned to the scene and continued to remove debris from the basement of the structure. During that excavation work, human remains were located in the structure. The Champaign County Coroner’s Office was contacted to come to the scene, and firefighters are assisting the Coroner’s Office in removing the victim from the debris. The identity of the victim is unknown at this time.
Investigators from the Champaign Fire Department and Champaign Police Department continue to work together on this investigation. The Champaign Fire Department has no update on the cause of this fire.