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December 11, 2009

Cigarette may have caused fatal fire



The Dec. 3 fire on Harris Street that killed two people may have started from the female occupant falling asleep while smoking, Fire Marshal Toby Webb said Thursday.

Sandra Jean Davidson, 56, and her brother, Jerry Wayne Reynolds, 53, died in the fire.

Reynolds’ body was found on the floor of her bedroom, while Davidson’s was found in a chair in the living room.

“The female occupant of the home was known to smoke heavily throughout the entire house,” Webb said.

A neighbor across the street from Davidson’s said Davidson had fallen asleep while smoking when visiting her, Webb said. He said Davidson’s daughter also told Webb her mother was known to fall asleep with a lit cigarette in her hand.

The location of the fire, which appears to have started in the living room, and the amount of damage to Davidson’s body, it appears that is what happened, Webb said.

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