Cigarettes to Blame in Fatal House Fire

Discarded cigarettes are to blame in a San Juan Capistrano house fire that killed a man earlier this week.

Robert Keen, 56, died in his home Tuesday night when cigarettes ignited a blaze, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

The blaze inside the home in the 29300 block of Edgewood Road occurred about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday. By the time firefighters arrived, thick black smoke filled the home, and Keen was unconscious.

“Firefighters responded to the fire and found a man crouched on the floor,” Concialdi said at the time. “Firefighters carried him outside and treated him but the injuries he suffered from burns and smoke inhalation claimed his life at the scene.”

Keen’s death is not considered a homicide.

“Firefighters also brought out the man’s cat which was not moving at the time,” Concialdi said. “Firefighters used a special pet mask and physical stimulation to get the cat breathing and purring again.”

The house did not have any working smoke alarms, Concialdi said. Smoke alarms are required for every bedroom and the hallways leading to a bedroom under state law, he said.

City News Service