A 56-year-old man lost his life last week in a house fire in Metarie. The victim, Steve Athas, was a former football standout at Tulane University, according to the report of the fire at wwltv.com. The fire started in the victim’s home around 4 a.m.
Neighbors said they tried getting inside the home to assist Athas but were unable to do so. They banged on the door but did not get a response. Fire crews arrived and knocked down the door, but they were not able to reach the victim in time. A spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Fire Department said Athas died from smoke inhalation in the one-alarm blaze. Athas was in the second floor bedroom when fire fighters found his body.
The spokesperson said they are still looking into the cause of the fire. At this point, they think Athas fell asleep while smoking in bed. Investigators do not suspect foul play in the fatal fire.
One of our blog posts earlier this week cautioned about fire dangers as cold weather approaches. It goes without saying that smoking in bed is an extreme fire hazard. Bed linens ignite quickly and it does not take long for the fire to spread throughout the home.
Can you think of any other home fire hazards?
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