JEFFERSON, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a fire that claimed the life of an 80-year-old Georgia man was accidental.
The Athens Banner-Herald quotes Office of Insurance and Safety Commissioner Jay Florence as saying Wednesday's house fire in which Leroy Johnson died was caused by the improper use of smoking materials.
A spokesman for the department said a neighbor reported the fire after 10 a.m. Wednesday. A Jefferson firefighter found Johnson's body in a bedroom of the home. Fire investigators believe he had been smoking while in bed.