Investigation into the Bozeman apartment fire that occurred earlier this week is pointing towards a couch on the front porch as the origin of the fire. It is still under review but a cigarette is a possible cause for the blazes ignition.

Jodi Housen - Bozeman Daily Chronicle

The cause of the fire could not be definitively determined, but the fire investigation suggested that it was possibly caused by a cigarette.

Current building codes do not require outside stairways to be "fire-rated," Bozeman building official Bob Risk said. Indoor stairways must be shielded with sheetrock.

Built in 1983, the apartment building was also in compliance with codes that, at the time of construction, required apartment buildings only have one, centrally located smoke detector.

Multi-unit buildings constructed after 1991 are required to have alarms in each sleeping area, Risk said. And it is up to tenants to maintain the alarms.

In the third-floor apartment where Beard and Neuman died, firefighters found a wall mount for a smoke detector, but no unit attached to it.

Full article and details at bozemandailychronicle.com

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