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Cigarette Sparks Santa Rosa House Fire; 1 Dead

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Jul 2, 2009 11:05 am US/Pacific

Cigarette Sparks Santa Rosa House Fire; 1 Dead

SANTA ROSA (CBS 5 / BCN) ―

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A discarded cigarette started a fire that killed a man in his home in unincorporated Sonoma County late Saturday, Gold Ridge Fire Protection District Chief Andy Pforsich said Thursday morning.

The fire started in a bedroom of the single-story home on Fredericks Road, southeast of Sebastopol. Firefighters were called to the home at 10:50 p.m.

The victim, Bradford Joseph Kolbach, 50, died of smoke inhalation, Pforsich said. His body was found at about 11:20 p.m.

Kolbach had apparently tried to escape the fire, and was found on the floor of the kitchen, near a door that leads to a garage, Pforsich said.

A discarded cigarette most likely lit the bed on fire, Pforsich said.

The fire caused $300,000 to $400,000 in damage, Gold Ridge Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Darrin DeCarli said.