Cigarette To Blame For Fatal Fire

Smoking in bed was the cause of a fire that claimed the life of a Taunton woman early Monday morning, according to State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and Taunton Fire Chief Ronald Nastri.The fire at 1205 Burt St. was discovered at about 4 a.m. when a resident came home from work. The victim, a woman, was found in the kitchen.

Officials said the fire started in a bedroom, and the said the battery had been removed from the smoke alarm in the home."While the number of fire deaths in Massachusetts has been steadily declining, smoking remains the leading cause of fire deaths here and across the nation.

Fire standard compliant cigarettes are helping to reduce fire deaths, but cannot prevent every smoking-ignited fire," Coan said."I urge each and every resident to test their smoke alarms today, and if you can’t recall the last time you changed the batteries, today might be a good time to do so," Nastri said.The victim's name has not been released.