A 66-year-old man died Sunday after a cigarette ignited a fire in his Marion apartment.
The fire at 269 Chestnut St., a three-unit apartment, started just after 1 p.m., Marion Assistant Fire Chief Terry Bowdre said.
Edward W. Marshall was smoking a cigarette and using oxygen in his living room when the fire ignited, said Capt. Wade Ralph.
Bowdre said Marshall had several oxygen canisters in his apartment. One exploded as firefighters arrived.
Because he had a disability and used a scooter, Marshall wasn't able to move himself from the couch, Bowdre said. He triggered an alert button he wore to notify firefighters of the emergency. Neighbors in the other two units, who had escaped by the time firefighters arrived, also called 911.
Bowdre said Marshall had extensive burns, and he stopped breathing once he was placed in an ambulance.
His apartment suffered heavy damage, and the rest of the building was uninhabitable last night. Bowdre estimated damage at about $25,000.
Copyright 2012 - The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
