Careless Smoker Left Mom in Burning Home: Police

A man with a history of careless smoking while when drinking has been charged with endangering his mother after a cigarette caused a fire in their eastern Pennsylvania home.

Lower Southampton Township police say they deal with 54-year-old Dean Smith nearly every day for drinking issues and found him in the living room, still smoking a cigarette, when crews responded Sunday to a fire.

Police say Smith, 54, appeared oblivious to the smoky conditions around him and didn't move his mother -- who is in her 80s, deaf and uses a walker -- from the home despite being encouraged to do so by a 911 operator.

Instead, police say Smith laughed and said, “No, why would I do that? The fire is upstairs.”

Online court records don't list an attorney for Smith, who has been hospitalized while charged with 10 counts of reckless endangerment.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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