Toulminville, Alabama House Fire Kills Three

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- A man trying to rescue his elderly father died in a Toulminville house fire, along with his father and sister, authorities said.

Palmer Nichols, 54, helped his mother from the burning home early Sunday morning and went back inside to rescue his father, Conrad Nichols, 83, relatives said. But when firefighters arrived they found the bodies of both men and 45-year-old Cynthia Nichols inside the burning home.

Three family members escaped the fire, officials said. The blaze completely gutted the one-story structure.

The fire started when a lit cigarette ignited a chair, said Steve Huffman, spokesman for the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department.

Family members said the house was not equipped with smoke detectors.