OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) Investigators believe careless disposal of smoking materials caused a condo fire that killed one man in northeast Kansas.
The Overland Park Fire Department identified the victim as 74-year-old James Arthur Stoker.
A neighbor in the eight-unit building called 911 around 4 a.m. Monday after waking up to the smell of smoke. Firefighters found Stoker dead in his condo.
No other injuries were reported.
Friends told KMBC-TV that Stoker had heart problems and used oxygen while continuing to smoke. Overland Park officials said the death fit one of the city’s most common profiles for fire fatalities an older adult smoker who lives independently and uses an oxygen tank.
