Police say the 62-year-old appeared to ignite his clothes while lighting a cigar near a busy Midtown hospital.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A 62-year-old man died early Thursday after Metro Nashville officers responding to a burns call found him on fire next to a wheelchair at the intersection of Church Street and 20th Avenue North in Midtown.
Authorities say the man, identified as Jimmy Ray Dunn, was pronounced dead at the scene despite quick response from police and emergency crews. The call came in around 2 a.m., just steps from Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in a part of Nashville lined with medical buildings and late-night traffic. Investigators with Metro Nashville Police Department now believe the flames started accidentally as Dunn tried to light a cigar, turning a routine act into a fatal emergency that unfolded on a dim, quiet stretch of roadway.
Shortly after the call reached Metro Nashville Emergency Communications, officers drove into the hospital district, where blue lights flashed against brick and glass towers. When they arrived at Church Street and 20th Avenue North, they found Dunn on fire beside a wheelchair near the curb. Officers and medics worked to put out the flames and assess his injuries, but police say he could not be saved and was declared dead at the scene. In a brief update shared by a partner station, WZTV wrote, “One man is dead after police say it appears he accidentally set himself on fire in a wheelchair early Thursday morning in Midtown, Nashville,” summarizing the early stages of the case.
Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron said officers began retracing Dunn’s final movements almost immediately, checking the area in front of the hospital and nearby sidewalks for clues. According to police, a review of security video from a nearby business showed Dunn alone when the fire started, supporting the working theory that no one else was involved. Investigators say the video appears to show him attempting to light a cigar before flames spread across his clothing. Police have also been working to locate and notify Dunn’s relatives while coordinating with the medical examiner to document his injuries and determine the precise cause of death.
Midtown Nashville is one of the city’s busiest corridors, with major hospitals, doctors’ offices, restaurants and new apartments built along Church Street and the surrounding blocks. Overnight, though, the area can grow quiet, with fewer people walking outside and traffic limited mostly to hospital staff and patients. Police say that stretch near Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown is covered by multiple security cameras, which often help investigators confirm details when emergency calls come from the street. While officers respond to many medical calls in the hospital district, a case involving a person found on fire in or near a wheelchair is rare, drawing added attention from both detectives and residents who work nearby.
Metro Nashville Police say there is no indication of foul play in Dunn’s death, and detectives are treating the incident as a tragic accident while they complete routine investigative steps. The department is forwarding its findings to the Davidson County medical examiner, who will conduct an autopsy to formally rule on the cause and manner of death. Investigators will also prepare reports for internal review and for prosecutors, a standard practice even when no charges are expected. Officials have not released Dunn’s city of residence or additional medical history, and they have not said whether toxicology tests will be requested as part of the autopsy process.
Police have not described any 911 callers by name or explained how long Dunn may have been on fire before first responders reached the intersection. Neighbors and hospital workers who arrived later found Church Street partially blocked by patrol vehicles and crime scene tape stretching across the corner. Some onlookers paused on their way into morning shifts, watching as investigators took photographs and marked patches of pavement before the body was removed. “Police say the man in a wheelchair who died in Midtown Nashville early Thursday morning accidentally set himself on fire,” FOX 17 News wrote in a social media update, echoing what investigators had shared with several local outlets.
As of Sunday, Metro Nashville Police said they do not expect to file criminal charges in connection with Dunn’s death, though final reports from the medical examiner are still pending. The case will remain open until those findings are complete and detectives finish reviewing all available video and witness statements. Once that work is done, officials say the file will be closed unless new information surfaces, marking the end of a brief but intense investigation into a fatal fire that unfolded at a Midtown street corner before dawn on Feb. 5.
Author note: Last updated 2026-02-09.