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Kremmling fire victim ID’s as Texas teen

Will Bublitz
Sky-Hi Daily News

The victim in the fatal house fire in Kremmling earlier this month has been identified.

According to Grand County Coroner Brenda Bock, the victim was 19-year-old David Wayne St. John II, a resident of Deer Park, Texas. He was reportedly “visiting friends” in Kremmling when he died the afternoon of Thursday, March 6.

Bock said the cause of death was “smoke inhalation and extensive third degree burns.” Dental records had to be used to confirm the identity of the body.



Commenting on the results of the investigation, Bock described St. John’s death as “strictly accidental.”

St. John was buried March 15 in Pasedena, Texas. He was a 2008 graduate of Deer Park High School.



The fire that took St. John’s life occurred in a rental duplex at 109 Central Avenue. Kremmling Police Chief Scott Spade reported that a 9-1-1 call about the fire was made at 1:43 p.m. on March 6. Two residents across the street from the duplex spotted the blaze and telephoned for help.

The Kremmling Fire Department and Kremmling Police responded immediately. The blaze inside the duplex was quickly suppressed.

Within the burned structure, firefighters discovered the “badly burned” body of an adult male. The discovery was made at 2:35 p.m.

The duplex at 109 Central Avenue is a rental property owned by Mark Gamble of Silverthorne. After the fire, Spade reported that “all tenants of the duplex have been accounted for.”

No one else was reported injured in the fire.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Grand County Sheriff’s Office participated in an investigation of the cause of the blaze. A final CBI report is expected soon.


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