A fire in Massena during the early morning hours of Nov. 14th has been ruled accidental. The State Fire Marshal’s Office reports the fire that destroyed a mobile home occupied by 53-year old Bruce Neumann at 208 Pine Street, in Massena, was caused by an improperly shielded fire place, the heat and flames from which caused nearby wood and wood paneling to ignite.

Neumann died from smoke inhalation. Officials say there was no smoke detector in the home when the blaze broke out at around 1-a.m. Nov. 14th. The home was a total loss. So far this year, 36 people have died from fire related incidents, in Iowa. In five cases, there was no smoke detector in the home, and five persons died because their smoke detectors were not working or were not equipped with batteries.