Man dies in Johnson Co. hotel fire

PAINTSVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - Johnson County 911 received a call from the Days Inn on Saturday, around 11:30 a.m., informing first responders that the cleaning crew went to a room and discovered it had been on fire and there was a body in the floor.

First responders appeared on scene, identifying the man as Barry Gordan Stambaugh, 66, of Pikeville.

The preliminary investigation determined he was smoking in his bed and likely fell asleep, dropping his cigarette and igniting the mattress.

Officers say the remains of the mattress was engulfed, based on the scene, and the room received substantial damage, but it was isolated into the sealed room and had smothered out before the cleaning crew arrived.

No one was alarmed to the fire while it was happening, so the scene was only discovered because the room was in need of cleaning, it was past check-out time, and the man had not yet checked out.

Autopsy results suggest Stambaugh died of smoke inhalation, and had third degree burns on his body.

No foul play is suspected, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Paintsville Police Officer Darrell Preston, Officer Justin Jackson and Johnson County Constable Tim Branham responded to the scene, alongside Paintsville Fire and EMS, the county coroner and Kentucky State Police.