The improper use of a candle has been identified as the cause of a fire that killed a man in St. Thomas.
Firefighters found the adult man's body after extinguishing the blaze inside a home on Rice Road around noon last Thursday. An autopsy revealed the man died from smoke inhalation.
Chief fire prevention officer Bill Todd said it is believed the man had lit the candle because his electricity had been cut the day before the fire due to nonpayment.
"By disconnecting the hydro it also disconnected the smoke alarm and the smoke alarm didn't have a battery backup," said Todd. "It's a concern for us. If for any reason your hydro is interrupted whether it is from a disconnect or because of a weather event, make sure your smoke alarm is working."
Todd advises anyone who finds themselves without a working smoke alarm to call their local fire department.
"Most departments, as we do in the City of St. Thomas, will come out and check for you to make sure you have a working smoke alarm. If you don't we will install one for you," said Todd.
The name and age of the man killed in the fire have not been released. The death is the city's first fire fatality of 2018.