tate fire officials said Monday the early Sunday morning fire that killed a 20-year-old Coast Guardsman appears to be accidental.
Arson has been ruled out in the 5:13 a.m. fire at the Navy's Sigsbee base that killed Coast Guardsman and New Orleans native Eric Lanus, said state Fire Marshal Lt. Joe Schwartz.
"We're waiting on samples taken from the scene to get back from the lab, but it appears to have started in the kitchen," Schwartz said. "It appears to be an accidental fire."
The cause of death remains under investigation, Schwartz said.
The house fire occurred in a three-unit townhouse where single men from various military branches are housed. Neighbors called 911 after they saw flames coming from the unit's window, said Naval Air Station Key West spokesman Jim Brooks.
Other residents in neighboring units escaped unharmed, Brooks said.
A roommate who lived with Lanus was not at home at the time of the fire, Brooks said.
Lanus was the first fire-related death on base that Navy officials could recall, Brooks said.
Lanus was a fireman aboard the 270-foot cutter Mohawk. He helped maintain the cutter's engines and generators as part of the engineering department, according to Chief Petty Officer Don Whittle. Lanus had been assigned to the Mohawk since June after completing basic training in New Jersey.
"It's a tight group aboard the Mohawk and this is a terrible loss to the Coast Guard family and, of course, to his friends and family," said Capt. Scott Buschman, commander of Coast Guard Sector Key West.
Key West Fire Department officials declined to comment until the Coast Guard notified them that Lanus' next of kin had been notified, said Division Chief Mike Karash.
"He was well-liked by his shipmates and will be sadly missed," Whittle said in a prepared statement.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.