ALPINE : Man Is Killed in Apartment Fire

A man was found dead in his Alpine apartment after an early-morning fire Tuesday, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said.

The body of James Roger Orr, 67, was found on the couch of his Olivewood Lane apartment about 4:30 a.m., officials said.

When firefighters arrived, Orr’s next-door neighbor, Joe Vasquez, was inside the ground-level apartment, putting the fire out with a garden hose, Fire Chief Woodrow Downing said.

Vasquez told officials he was awakened by a smoke alarm and saw smoke coming from Orr’s apartment. The detector in Orr’s apartment had melted, but one in an upstairs unit of the 250-unit complex went off, Downing said.

The fire was contained to Orr’s apartment, Downing said.

Orr apparently fell asleep while smoking a cigarette on the couch, Downing said. An empty liquor bottle and pile of cigarette butts were found on the floor near the couch, Downing said. Damage to the apartment was estimated at $20,000, the spokeswoman said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, an arson investigator said.