ABINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Investigators say smoking is to blame for a deadly fire that broke out on Christmas Eve at an elderly housing complex in Abington.
The Plymouth district attorney’s office says the victim of the blaze at about 3 p.m. Sunday was 71-year-old Stanley Simon.
Improper use of smoking materials sparked the fire, which prompted the temporary evacuation of 47 people, according to State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey.
Investigators determined the fire started when an upholstered recliner in Simon’s den was ignited. Officials say Simon smoked mini-cigars, which are not required to Fire Standard Compliant as cigarettes are.
The housing complex on Chestnut Street has fire sprinklers in the common hallways, but not inside the individual apartments.
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