Two people died Tuesday evening when fire destroyed an Oakdale home.
State Fire Marshal deputies are investigating the cause of the fire.
The Oakdale Fire Department was called to a home in the 200 block of Canal Street around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday.
They saw a man through a window, and pulled him out, but weren't able to revive him. They later found a second victim in a bathroom.
While official identification and cause of death are pending with the parish Coroner’s Office, at this time, the victims are believed to be a 35-year-old disabled woman, who was renting the home, and a 61-year-old male friend visiting at the time of the fire.
Following an assessment of the scene, deputies determined the fire began in a dining room area. While the investigation into the exact cause of the fire continues, deputies have been unable to rule out the possibility of unsafe smoking practices, unattended candles and/or an electrical malfunction as potential contributing factors.
"While many fire hazards can lead to tragedy in our homes, the most common fatal home fire causes can be avoided by ensuring smoking materials are discarded appropriately, never leaving open flames, like candles, unattended, and ensuring appliances are connected to appropriate power sources for the electrical strength of those appliances to avoid overloading and overheating those power sources," a release from the State Fire Marshal states.
Deputies also weren't able to find any working smoke alarms in the house. If you can't afford to buy them for your house, the State Fire Marshal does have a program, Operation Save-A-Life, that can help. For information you can visit lasfm.org or call your local fire department to ask for a free smoke alarm.
