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WEST VALLEY CITY — A 64-year-old West Valley man died Saturday in a fire inside his apartment after his cigarette lit his couch on fire.
Firefighters were called to the Valley Fair Village apartment complex, 3060 W. 3650 South, just before 10 a.m. Minutes earlier, a neighbor was walking around the area and could smell smoke, but couldn't tell where it was coming from, said West Valley Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Fox.
"Finally they found the apartment that was pretty well locked up and they saw a little bit of smoke coming out," he said.
The neighbor attempted to call out to see if anyone was inside, then called 911. Crews arrived shortly after and entered the apartment.
"It was a pretty active fire and the smoke level was pretty much to the ground," Fox said. "They knocked the fire down and did a quick search and couldn’t find anyone."
After the blaze was extinguished, firefighters conducted a secondary search and discovered the body of a man who had died in the fire.
Following an investigation, Fox said the cause of the fire was a cigarette. He said investigators believe the man fell asleep while smoking, and the cigarette caught the couch on fire.
The man's name has not yet been released pending notification of family.
There was no damage to any other apartments and no other injuries were reported.
