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Emergency crews responded to an apartment fire called in by neigbors at 712 Joshua Court late Friday Dec. 26, in Carlisle. The fire that killed one person started and was contained to one upstairs apartment, said Carlisle Fire Chief Greg Wallace.Click to enlarge

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An elderly resident wrapped in a blanket sits on the lawn as fire crews investigate an apartment fire called in by neigbors at 712 Joshua Court late Friday Dec. 26, in Carlisle. The fire that killed one person started and was contained to one upstairs apartment, according to Carlisle Fire Chief Greg Wallace.Click to enlarge

Staff Report

CARLISLE — A cigarette caused a fire that claimed the life of a man inside a top-floor apartment late Friday, Dec. 26, according to the Carlisle fire chief.

Robert Hawkins was found dead inside the apartment at 712 Joshua Court in the Colonial Gardens complex, said Chief Greg Wallace.

The accidental fire started in the chair where Hawkins, who was born in 1967, was sitting, Wallace said. Wallace said there was no obvious reason Hawkins could not escape the fire, other than to guess he fell asleep and was overcome by smoke.

Hawkins had moved to Carlisle about a year ago from Texas, Wallace said.

A representative from the Warren County Coronor's Office, where an autopsy will be performed, could not be reached Saturday Dec. 27.

Fire crews from Carlisle, Franklin, Franklin Twp. and Springboro responded to the blaze at about 11:30 p.m. A state fire marshal and Warren County coroner were also called to the scene.

The fire was mostly contained to unit F and caused about $30,000 damage, Wallace said. There were no other injuries, he said.

Nathan Childs, who was visiting his uncle, was among those banging on doors alerting residents to the fire. He and James Norvell, who is home on holiday leave from the Army's Fort Sill in Oklahoma, said the smoke and flames were coming from Apartment F. When they kicked in the door, they said smoke started coming out and they could see that its middle-aged male resident appeared dead on the floor inside.

Thom Sullivan, who lives in a different building in the complex, said he went outside to smoke on his porch when saw the smoke and flames. He said he called 911 and starting running over there, knocking on doors trying to get people out.

Late Friday and into early this morning, residents stood outside the 12-unit apartment two-story building as fire crews remained on scene.

The top floor appeared to have sustained the most damage, and just before midnight, small clouds of smoke still streamed from the building in what remained of the working structure fire.