PROPHETSTOWN, Illinois -- An 89-year-old man apparently lost control of a planned burn in a farm field and died of burn injuries sustained during the fire.
The Whiteside County Sheriff's department responded to a call from a driver who saw a body in a field near the intersection of Matznick and Arch roads in rural Prophetstown a little before 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 22.
On arrival, deputies discovered 89-year-old Curtis D. Verney of Sterling, Illinois. Verney had succumbed to burns and was pronounced dead on the scene.