TAMA COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) - Authorities said one person is dead after a vehicle fire in rural Tama County.

Tama County Sheriff said a deputy noticed heavy smoke while driving east on Highway 30 near the Exit 204 interchange around 3:20 Saturday afternoon.

After investigating, the deputy found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames just south of the railroad tracks in the 3400 block of N Avenue.

The deputy notified dispatch and the Tama Fire Department and EMS were called to the scene.

Officials said because of thick brush and the intensity of the fire, it was initially unclear if anyone was in the vehicle.

Once firefighters began knocking down the flames, an elderly male was found deceased in a ditch with standing water near the driver’s side of the vehicle.

The Sheriff said the incident

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