Careless Smoking Caused Fire that Killed Oak Forest Man

Careless smoking contributed to a fire that killed an Oak Forest man last week, according to authorities. 

An autopsy pinpointed “thermal injures and the careless use of smoking materials" as the cause of death for 58-year-old Stanley Chmura, according to a Sun-Times Media report. 

The Oak Forest Fire Department was called to the apartment fire Thursday in the 5000 block of W. 159^th Street around 1:30 a.m.

Chmura, of the 5000 block of W. 159^th Street, was found inside the apartment’s living room after the blaze was put out, Oak Forest Fire Chief Terry Lipinski said Thursday.

Chmura was revived on scene, but later died at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, where he was transferred after first being treated at South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Lipinski said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said his death was caused by “thermal injuries and careless use of smoking materials.”

The medical examiner ruled the death as accidental.

No other apartment units were damaged and no one else was injured, Lipinski said.

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