COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Smoking near an oxygen tank was what sparked a deadly fire earlier this month, the Colorado Springs Fire Department has confirmed.
Fire crews responded to 1126 Norwood Avenue in the Stratton Meadows neighborhood just before noon on March 8 on reports of a house fire. The neighborhood is in south Colorado Springs near Southgate and Lake. Firefighters saw the smoke before even reaching the scene.
“They arrived at 11:44 a.m. to heavy fire and smoke showing from the front of the home,” CSFD said in an update Tuesday.
As firefighters began battling the blaze, they found an unconscious person inside the house. After bringing the victim out, fire crews determined they were deceased. The individual has not been identified at the time of this writing, and the cause of death is still pending the results of an autopsy by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office. Springs police are investigating the death.
“CSFD recommends always smoking outside, properly disposing of smoking materials, and never smoking around medical oxygen,” the fire department said.
