Cigarette, oxygen device to blame in deadly Garden City fire
Jan 3, 2019, 5:55 AM | Updated: 8:47 am
photo courtesy of Rich County Sheriff's Office
GARDEN CITY, Utah — Firefighters say a cigarette and an oxygen tank appear to be responsible for a deadly fire that took the life of a Utah man.
The Garden City man who died in a house fire Wednesday morning has been identified as 66-year-old Harry Samuel Hazard. Rich County sheriff’s officials say a home care nurse arrived at the home only to be “forced back by heavy smoke and intense heat,” according to a news release.
Crews discovered Hazard dead in the living room. A service dog was able to be saved, according to the release, and was transported to a veterinarian’s office in Montpelier, Idaho. The animal is expected to be OK, authorities say.
According to the Rich County Sheriff’s Office, the fire appeared to have been ignited by a cigarette in a reclining couch – a medical oxygen device nearby, contributing to the fire’s spread.
Investigators say though flames were mostly contained to the living room, smoke damage occurred throughout the entire home.
Hazard’s wife was at work at the time of the fire, according to sheriff’s deputies.
