Man dies after falling asleep while smoking

The body of a 66-year-old man was found in his Chisinau home on George Cosbuc Street by a fire crew called by his neighbors. The man fell asleep with a burning cigarette in his mouth and never woke up. The man apparently died from carbon monoxide poisoning, caused by the combusting content of the apartment. No burns were discovered on his body. Liliana Puscasu of the Civil Protection Service told Info-Prim Neo that the leading causes of fires are reckless smoking indoors, arson, children playing with fire and ignorance of basic safety rules when using heating stoves. 167 persons, including 11 children, lost their lives in fires from the beginning of the year in Moldova.