"Smoking in bed" blamed for Grandview Towers fire

Fire Investigators with the Evansville Fire Dept. have classified the fatal three alarm fire at Grandview Towers an accident.

Investigators say the fire that caused one fatality and the building's inhabitants to be evacuated was caused from smoking on a bed.

Investigators also concluded that the intensity and rate of spread were highly increased due to the occupant's use of medical oxygen.

Officials say firefighters quickly extinguished the early evening blaze, but were on scene for nearly 5 hours, evacuating occupants, retrieving medicine and checking on animals left in the apartments.

Authorities say the fire only severely damaged one apartment, but caused several others to have moderate smoke damage and dozens more to have smoke exposure.

EFD officials say nearly 60 firefighters responded to the scene and AMR transported a dozen occupants to area hospitals for "non-life threatening" conditions, mostly due to smoke inhalation and anxiety.

An autopsy is expected to be performed Monday on Gwendolyn Hunt, the person killed in that the fire.

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