Victim in rural Chillicothe house fire identified

PEORIA, Ill. – The victim in a fatal fire in rural Chillicothe has been identified.

The fire occurred Tuesday afternoon in the area of Galena and Rome Roads.

Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood says 62-year-old Michael Brodbeck Jr. was taken to OSF Saint Francis unresponsive, not breathing, and no pulse.  Brodbeck was pronounced dead in the hospital’s emergency room just before 5:30 P.M.

Harwood says an autopsy on Brodbeck shows he suffered from severe smoke inhalation that was not survivable.

The fire’s cause remains under investigation.