HANSON, Mass. (AP) - A fire in a Massachusetts home that took the life of a 58-year-old woman and a dog earlier this month was caused by smoking, investigators announced Thursday.
Margaret O’Toole-Driscoll died in the blaze in the log cabin-style home in Hanson on May 4. Her husband and two children escaped unharmed.
The fire originated on the front porch, which is where the woman commonly smoked, according to a statement from Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr. and state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey.
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There was evidence of frequent smoking on the porch, they said. The home was a complete loss.
Firefighters searched the home for the victim, but were beaten back by intense heat and flames, Thompson said.
O’Toole-Driscoll was an instructional support assistant at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.
Nearly 40% of the 21 fire deaths in Massachusetts so far this year have been caused by smoking, Ostroskey said.
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