By Shawn Regan
The Eagle-Tribune
HAVERHILL, Mass. — Fire officials have concluded the March 7 fire that killed 87-year-old Phyllis Lamot started on a bed mattress and was likely sparked by “improper disposal of smoking materials or an aged heating pad.”
A spokesman for state Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said the mattress where the fire began was not located in Lamot’s bedroom, but rather in one of the other first-floor occupants living at 477 Washington St. Lamot lived with two younger relatives, Raymond Matthes, 55, and Sherry Matthes, 53, who were both injured in the fire.
The presence of medical oxygen in the home fueled the rapid spread of the fire, Coan said.
“Bringing oxygen into the home brings new fire risks and extreme caution must be used,” the fire marshal said. “There can never be smoking in a home where oxygen is used as the danger is enormous. Simply shutting off the oxygen is not enough.”
Copyright 2012 Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI)
All Rights Reserved