Madison fire officials said today that a cigarette was the cause of a Nov. 17 fire that claimed the life of a Plymouth man at an off-campus residence.
Peter J. Talen, 23, was found dead in the living room at 123 N. Bedford St. after passers-by reported the blaze at about 5:35 a.m. In a press release, Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth said a couch on the porch of the nearly 100-year-old home was where the fire likely started. The living room where firefighters found Talen was adjacent to the porch.