Cigarette blamed for fire that killed Wilmington man

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An elderly man is dead after an afternoon fire in Wilmington, and investigators say an improperly discarded cigarette was the cause. The fire started around 1:30 p.m. at 108 Charter Drive off Eastwood Road.

The Wilmington Fire Department said the victim was Danny Junior Miller. Firefighters say Miller’s wife was across the street when the fire started.

A fire department spokesman says it took crews about 15 minutes to contain the fire after the got to the scene, but it was too late to save Miller.