Probe of Car Fire That Seriously Injured Armonk NY Man Could Take Weeks

[Editor's Note: Photo courtesy of Stephen Krauchick, DoingItLocal.com.]

Fairfield police and fire personnel . The investigation will likely continue for weeks, officials said, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.

, police said. Hervey is enrolled at Fairfield University as a part-time student, and police believe he had been living on campus for the school year.

Hervey had been parked at Thursday evening while a Little League game was going on. Witnesses recalled hearing a popping sound before seeing the blue Chevy Tahoe Hervey was in become engulfed in flames.

Witnesses told police Hervey ran out of the car, his clothes on fire, toward the game. Coaches and parents managed to get Hervey to drop to the ground and attempted to smother the flames with blankets. He was transported to the Burn Unit at Bridgeport Hospital after emergency responders arrived.

According to fire, police, and witness reports, Hervey said he was having car trouble before losing consciousness at the scene.

Police Lt. Michael Gagner said Monday that investigators await analysis on portions of the vehicle sent to the state police crime lab. Police and fire officials confirmed the fire started inside the passenger compartment of the Tahoe, and not the engine.

Investigators intend to apply for a warrant to conduct a mechanical inspection on the car, Gagner said.

Both police and fire officials met Saturday at Tunxis Hill Park with the Little League teams, their coaches, and parents who witnessed the fire, Assistant Fire Chief Chris Tracy said.

Tracy said that he talked to the young players -- Fairfield elementary and middle school students -- about the status of the investigation and offered the opportunity for them to ask questions.

He added the players were reminded that they worked as a team and followed commands while on scene Thursday.

"You play games like that and you'll win every game, no matter what the scoreboard says," Tracy said of the teams.