Cigarette Sparked Manchester Fire That Killed 2 Adults, 2 Children

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Investigators say a fire that killed four people last month in Manchester, New Hampshire, was caused by discarded smoking materials.

Read: Two Adults, Two Children Killed In Manchester Apartment Fire

Officials said the improperly discarded smoking materials on a second-floor porch caused a piece of upholstered furniture to catch fire, smoldering for more than an hour before erupting in flames on June 6.

Killed were 33-year-old Joshua Harrison; 39-year-old Ailene Moody; 10-year-old Joshua Harrison Jr.; and 8-year-old Jay Michael Garon. Moody was the mother of both boys, while the elder Joshua Harrison was the father of the youngest victim. They died from smoke inhalation.

Discarded smoking materials were suspected early on, and the fire was labeled an accident on Friday.

State Fire Marshal William Degnan said the tragedy serves as an important reminder that smoking materials must be properly extinguished.

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