LITTLE ROCK — A Pulaski County man escaped injury Thursday morning after a fire which police say likely started when a cigarette he was smoking ignited his oxygen tank.
It happened about 8:45 a.m. at 4414 W. Justice Lane.
According to a report from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, investigators determined the blaze started with resident Billy Ray Long's portable oxygen pump.
Police say there was an ashtray with burnt cigarettes where the oxygen tank had been located and that Long's granddaughter told deputies her grandfather "is a smoker and refused to quit and this was the probable cause of the fire."
Long had no visible injuries and refused to be transported to the hospital.
The carpet in the room where the fire started suffered an estimated $500 in damage.