Fatal LA Fires Prompt Stern Warnings

Oct. 17 -- Louisiana fire officials are urging people to be aware of fire hazards and exercise caution after three Baton Rouge region residents lost their lives in house fires within two days.

The recent spate of fires is especially unusual considering the weather has been mild and people aren't likely to be heating their homes. Space heaters and other unsafe heat sources make fires more common in the winter.

None of the three fires appears suspicious in nature though their causes remain under investigation, officials said.

Around 4:30 a.m. Monday, David Braud, 59, was found dead inside his home in a subdivision near the intersection of Perkins Road and Siegen Lane. Flames were coming through the roof when firefighters arrived. Authorities said the cause has not been determined.

Crews responded to reports of another fire around 10 p.m. Monday in the 7200 block of Sevenoaks Avenue, a residential neighborhood in Mid City about two blocks south of Goodwood Avenue. The home's only resident, Christopher Dugas, 66, was found inside and pronounced dead on the scene.

East Baton Rouge Coroner Dr. Beau Clark said Dugas died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from smoke inhalation.

Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Mark Miles said it took about 10 minutes for the fire to be brought under control after firefighters found smoke coming from the rear of the home.

The damage appeared most significant in a bedroom, which contained charred remains of a bed and other furniture. Two cats were sitting on the porch Tuesday afternoon.

Neighbors said Dugas lived alone and his health had declined in recent months as he started using an oxygen machine and was having trouble walking on his own. Dugas grew up in the home and spent his life in the Baton Rouge area, neighborhood residents said.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday that the preliminary investigation suggested carelessly discarded smoking materials were a potential factor in the fire.

The third fatal fire occurred late Tuesday morning in Ascension Parish to the 37000 block of River Road in Darrow and found one man had died when flames destroyed a trailer home.

Neighbors said the man who lived there was killed. Authorities had not identified him as of Tuesday evening.

Ashley Rodrigue, a spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office, said the cause remains under investigation but does not appear suspicious in nature.

State Fire Marshal Butch Browning addressed the three fires with a reminder that residents should exercise caution and stay on their toes.

"These are three tragedies that, at this state in the investigations, seem to have been preventable," he said in a statement. "We implore every family to take a look around your homes for fire hazards and do something to change those situations. We have to be proactive about fire safety at all times, everywhere we are."

Advocate staff writer Ellyn Couvillion contributed to this report.