Louisiana Tragedy: Man Dies as Home Engulfed in Flames

Louisiana officials with the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating a deadly fire that took the life of a man and injured a woman and child.

State Fire Chief Bryan Adams says his office began investigating after the fire started at around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, March 3, when firefighters were called out to the Benton home.

Investigators are still working to determine the official cause of the fire, but Adams wants everyone to remember to follow safe practices when heating their homes when the nights are cold.

Adams says a 50-year-old man died at the scene of the fire and that a 40-year-old woman and a 3-year-old child both had to be treated for smoke inhalation. Both the woman and the child survived the incident.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal wants to remind residents of the following when it comes to heating their homes:

• Make sure that anything flammable is at least three feet away from a space heater at all times.
• Never use your stovetop or your oven to heat your home.
• When using a space heater, make sure to plug it directly into a wall socket.
• Do not use extension cords or power strips to power your space heater.
• Never leave open flames unattended in your homes, and this includes fireplaces.
• Always have at least one working smoke alarm in your home.

The Louisiana Operation Save-A-Life program aims to help families who can't afford a smoke alarm install one in their homes. In addition, local fire departments will assist anyone who can't install a smoke alarm by coming to their home to do the installation.