Investigators believe the fire that claimed the life of an 80-year-old man in Jefferson Wednesday was accidental.
Jefferson Fire Chief Mark Duke said firefighters got the call to the home on Ivey Street around 10:20 a.m. Crews arrived to find the house over half involved in flames.
"The fire was knocked down pretty quickly, and we found the male victim just inside the front door deceased," Duke wrote in an email.
He said the victim, Leroy Jackson, lived in the home.
Georgia Deputy Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Jay Florence said investigators believe the fire started in a bedroom.
"Our investigators have ruled this accidental and believe that the cause of the fire was improper use of smoking materials."
Florence said Jackson was known to smoke while in bed. The body was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab for autopsy and positive identity.
"The home was destroyed in the fire, so the home was definitely a total loss," Florence said. "The home was a double-wide trailer that was about 30 years old."
Jackson owned the home and was alone at the time of the fire, according to Florence.
