DAYTON, Ohio
--
Dayton firefighters said a 52-year-old man died in a house fire early Thursday morning.
The flames hit a home in the 2600 block of East Third Street near Philadelphia Street around 5:30 a.m.
Fire officials said they were called to the scene on a report of smoke in the building. When they arrived, the wife of the 52-year-old man who died told them that her husband was still inside their half of the two-story duplex.
Firefighters then called in a full fire response team to the scene and began searching for the man. The first crews did a search and rescue and eventually located the victim in a front living room, sitting in an easy chair.
Firefighters said the other side of the duplex was vacant and that no one lived there.
Investigators said it looks like the fire started when the victim dropped a cigarette and it sparked flames on his oxygen tank. They said the man had some physical ailments and required oxygen.
The flames burned through the plastic tubing on the tank and accelerated from there throughout the house, there was nothing the wife could do to help.
The victim's identity has not been released.
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