The fire at 1235 Exchange St. that killed Louis Patrick Tucker, 58, Saturday has been determined to be accidental, caused by unattended cooking. According to a press release from the Emporia Fire Departments, all four apartments at the address were equipped with battery operated smoke detectors. The smoke detectors in both upstairs apartments were disabled with the battery removed in one case. The other smoke detector had the battery installed but was disconnected. At lease one smoke alarm was sounding when firefighters arrived on scene.
The press release stated that this is the second fatality recently in Emporia with similar circumstances. Both were middle-aged men who died from smoke inhalation started by unattended cooking. Having a working smoke detector in the home reduces a person’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.