A Lewiston man died Sunday after his clothes caught fire while he was smoking.
Victor Lauze, 75, died Sunday evening at Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Neighbors heard a smoke detector going off and found Lauze in his second-floor apartment at 104 Knox St. just after noon. He had severe burns, McCausland said.
Lauze was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, then flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Portland.
According to fire investigators, there was little damage to the apartment from the fire, McCausland said.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less