Fatal Beacon Street Fire Ruled Accidental

The fire that claimed the life of a Salem man on Beacon Street Sunday morning was the result of either a candle left burning or carelessly disposed of smoking materials, fire investigators confirmed Tuesday night.

In a release issued by State Fire Marshal Steven D. Coan and Salem Fire Chief David Cody, the cause of the fire has been ruled accidental after investigators "pinpointed the origin in the second floor apartment between a desk and a closet."

"Whether the cause was a candle left burning or improper disposal of smoking materials cannot be further determined, but all other possible causes have been eliminated," the release read.

Michael Lyness, 53, was reportedly found dead in his second-floor apartment.

"Every fire death is a terrible tragedy and the North Shore has seen more than their fair share of fire deaths this year. The sad part is that many of these fire deaths could have been prevented with working smoke alarms," Cody said.

There was reportedly no operational smoke alarms found in the second-floor apartment where the fire broke out and the smoke alarms in the basement and first floor also weren't working at the time of the blaze. 

"I would urge all Salem residents to take a moment to make sure their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are working, to put in a fresh 9-volt battery if needed, and to consider replacing any smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old," Cody said.