Unextinguished Cigarettes Caused Fatal Fire in Minnesota, Investigators Say

Investigators say unextinguished cigarettes caused a fatal house fire in northeast Minneapolis last weekend.

The Minneapolis Fire Department says the fire was started on the first floor by cigarettes that ignited a sofa in the living room. The cause of the fire was ruled unintentional.

Sixty-three-year-old Thomas Edward Nowak died when the two-story home caught fire Saturday evening. Firefighters quickly put out a fire on the first floor and then found the victim on the second floor. Nowak was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died.

It’s the first fire fatality in Minneapolis in 2018.