http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/218573.html
"North Carolina investigators cannot rule out smoking as the cause of Sunday's fire at an Ocean Isle Beach home that claimed the lives of six USC students and one Clemson student, the State Bureau of Investigation said today.
Agents said the fire left so much damage that investigators could not pinpoint the cause, though they believe the fire began on a rear deck of the three-story home. Discarded smoking materials could have played a role, a preliminary report states.
Six of the 13 students staying at the house smoked, according to the local District Attorney Rex Gore.
The SBI said the investigation is not complete. It is awaiting toxicology test results on the seven victims, each of whom appeared to have died either of carbon monoxide poisoning or smoke inhalation.
Agents said that survivors told them that smoke detectors in the home sounded. But investigators are still looking into where the detectors were located and the brands of the devices.
Investigators continue to examine the speed at which the fire progressed and other "contributing factors."
The town’s mayor, Debbie Smith, read the report at a news conference but did not elaborate on its contents.
She said she knows national and international fire code officials have been debating whether to require household sprinklers, which the charred house at 1 Scotland St. did not have.
Though Smith was flanked by five local officials, none of the others would answer questions."
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