EPFD: El Paso fire that killed 2 sparked by smoking, oxygen machine in Lower Valley home
A house fire that killed two older residents was started by smoking in combination with an oxygen machine inside a Lower Valley home, El Paso Fire Department officials said.
A man in his 80s and a woman in her 70s died in the mobile home fire on Thursday night, April 18, in the 7600 block of Barton Street, fire department officials said. The home is near the intersection of North Loop Drive and North Carolina Drive.
Investigators with the Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire, which occurred about 8:30 p.m., was accidental. The names of the persons who died have not been disclosed pending official confirmation by the medical examiner.
EPFD officials noted that there were no working smoke alarms in the home at the time of the fire, which was quickly extinguished after the arrival of firefighters on Thursday night.
Three killed in El Paso house fires
Fire-related deaths in El Paso tend to be uncommon, but the fire on Barton Street was one of two fatal fires within three days last week, both about a mile apart in the Rosedale and Cedar Grove sections of the Lower Valley.
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Another person died in a separate mobile home fire on Saturday morning, April 20, in the 7200 block of Alameda Avenue, the El Paso Fire Department said. Further information has not been disclosed as the investigation continues.
The fire department reminds residents that smoke alarms can provide an early warning and valuable minutes to exit a house in case of a fire.
EPFD provides free smoke alarms, including installation. To submit a request for a smoke alarm, residents may call 311 or visit elpasofire.org.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: What started an El Paso house fire that killed 2 people?
