BRADFORD – A 65-year-old Bradford man, Harold L. Peabody, who sustained severe burns after his house caught fire sometime Thursday on 33 Hawthorne Rd. in Bradford, died at 12:02 a.m. this morning at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, NY, according to the Ridgway-based state police.
The fire was accidental in nature, state police said. Peabody was sitting in a living room chair and filling a Zippo lighter with lighter fluid. The lighter fluid spilled onto Peabody’s clothing and all evidence suggests he activated the lighter to test its working ability.
The flame lighted the vapor from the fluid on Peabody’s clothing. Peabody’s clothing subsequently ignited and he attempted to remove his clothing and leave his house. However, Peabody was overcome before reaching the door of his house.
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