Man on Oxygen Dies in Fire Started by Cigarette

A 58-year-old man with a respiratory problem died Sunday in a fire that was apparently started by his cigarette and accelerated by his oxygen tanks, a city fire department spokesman said.

Neighbors saw smoke coming from the one-bedroom apartment rented by the man, whose name was not disclosed Sunday. Two women swimming in the apartment complex’s pool told investigators that they heard a smoke detector go off and then saw thick smoke billowing out Sunday afternoon, fire investigator Andrew Grzywa said.

They found the man on the living room floor, his clothing ablaze, Grzywa said. They tried to fight the fire, but they had to get out after the flames became too intense. A third person who seized a fire extinguisher also had to retreat when several oxygen cylinders leaked, intensifying the blaze, Grzywa said.

The man’s cat also died in the fire.

Of eight oxygen cylinders inside the apartment, the valves of at least two had failed and leaked, and a third was being used by the victim.

“They helped accelerate the fire,” Grzywa said.

Cigarettes were found inside, and the man “appeared to have had a long history of respiratory problems,” Grzywa 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.”

It was not immediately known whether the man died from smoke inhalation, burns or other causes, Grzywa said. The intensity of the blaze warped the apartment’s interior walls and broke the living-room window.