Discarded cigarettes caused St. Paul fatal fire
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Carelessly discarded cigarettes are being blamed for a house fire that killed a University of St. Thomas student and injured three others last month.
St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard says there were two containers on the front porch to put cigarette butts in and one was plastic. That container started on fire, which spread throughout the home.
Zaccard tells WCCO-TV it took investigators awhile to determine the exact cause because other possibilities needed to be ruled out.
The Dec. 11 fire killed 20-year-old Michael Larson, who was sleeping on a couch on the main floor.
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Three people at the home awoke to smoke detectors and jumped out of second-story windows. They were treated for smoke inhalation and taken to Regions Hospital.
All four victims were students at St. Thomas.
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Information from: WCCO-TV
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
