CARLISLE TWP. — A 20-year-old man burned in a fire Wednesday has been placed in a medically induced coma at a Cleveland hospital.

Troy Piroch, 2021 West River Road, Carlisle Township, was listed in critical condition at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, a hospital spokesperson said.

The cause of the fire that injured Piroch, who was found sitting between his West River Road home and a neighbor’s house around noon Wednesday, remains under investigation.

In the original police report, Piroch was originally listed as the victim of an “attempted self destruction” — sheriff’s code for a suicide attempt — but Sheriff’s Capt. John Reiber said that was a mistake and the report has since been changed to read “personal injury.”

Reiber said there is no evidence yet to indicate a suicide attempt.

“We haven’t determined the cause — if it’s self-inflicted or it could be an accident,” Reiber said. “We’re not sure at this point. How it happened is unknown.”

Burned shoes, socks and a sheet were on the lawn after neighbors helped douse the flames with water.

“We’re still reviewing everything at the scene to try to determine exactly what happened,” he said.

Reiber said investigators haven’t yet been able to talk to Piroch.

Piroch has physical disability that requires him to speak with a voice box computer system that would make communication difficult even if he weren’t in a coma, Reiber said.

Investigators are also waiting for a report from the Carlisle Township Fire Department that details an accidental fire at the home a few months ago, Reiber said.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

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