PHOTO: This home at 207 S. 15th St. in Arkadelphia was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, May 16. A body was discovered inside the residence. | arkadelphian.com photo/Joel Phelps
An Arkadelphia man was found deceased in a burning home early Friday morning, May 16, 2025.
The body of 53-year-old David Silvas was discovered as the Arkadelphia Fire Department worked to douse a blaze at 207 S. 15th St., a home owned by Silvas.
AFD was dispatched to the residence at 1:49 a.m. when a neighbor phoned in the fire to 911, and arrived to find the home fully engulfed, said Fire Chief Andy Neel. Firefighters were on scene until after dawn, Neel said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Neel said firefighters were uncertain where the fire originated, though smoke was emitting from the southern and eastern sides of the home located at the corner of 15th and Clay streets, west of Rose Hill Cemetery. It was unclear whether Silvas was located in a bedroom or another type of room given the layout of the residence, Neel said.
As is protocol with fire-involved fatalities, Neel said Silvas’ body was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to determine an official cause of death.
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