La Habra Man Dies in Fire Fueled by Oxygen Tanks

A 58-year-old man died Sunday in a fire that was apparently caused by his cigarette and accelerated by the oxygen tanks he used for a respiratory illness, a city fire department spokesman said.

The man, whose identity was not disclosed Sunday, was found by bystanders after they saw smoke coming from inside his one-bedroom apartment at the 82-unit Casa Madrid complex in the 1300 block of Las Riendas Drive, said Andrew Grzywa, a La Habra fire investigator.

Two women who were swimming in the apartment’s pool told investigators they first heard a smoke detector go off and then saw thick smoke billowing from the man’s apartment door about 3:10 p.m.

“They rushed in and saw him lying down on the living room floor,” Grzywa said. “They were trying to help him and beat back the flames at the same time and had to get out after the flames became too intense.”

The victim’s clothing was on fire when he was found by the women.

A third person grabbed a fire extinguisher but he too had to retreat when several oxygen cylinders leaked, helping to intensify the flames, Grzywa said.

When firefighters arrived, they fought back intense flames before they could enter the living room, where the victim was found dead. It was not immediately known whether he died from smoke inhalation, burns or other causes, Grzywa said.

The man’s cat also perished in the blaze.

Damage was estimated at $80,000 to the structure and $20,000 to the apartment’s contents, firefighters said.

Of eight oxygen cylinders found inside the man’s apartment, at least three released some or all of their contents, including two that had valve failure and a third that was in use by the victim, firefighters said.

“These tanks are supposed to have automatic valve shutoffs,” Grzywa said, “but on at least two tanks, the valves failed and did leak oxygen, in addition to the one the man was using.”

Cigarettes were found in the apartment and the victim “appeared to have had a long history of respiratory problems,” he said.

“We’ve ruled out other causes such as electrical and so far the cause of the fire points to his smoking but we’re still looking,” Grzywa said. “Misuse of smoking materials does look like the cause.”

The intensity of the blaze warped the apartment’s interior walls and broke the living room window.