Authorities say two people have died in house fires in Massachusetts in the past 12 hours.
A man died in in a house fire in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday night and another man died in a fire at a Taunton home on Thursday morning.
The cause of the Edgartown blaze was the improper disposal of smoking materials. It originated on a porch where the residents smoked. The victim had been in the shower when he was alerted to the fire by the other residents.
The two-alarm Taunton fire was reported at about 3:45 a.m. Thursday by a person driving past.
The victim was found near his front door and fire officials believe he was trying to get out.
Officials say it appears that the victim, identified as 64-year-old Jeffrey Baker, was trying to escape, but couldn't.
Mieth says there have now been 16 fire-related deaths in Massachusetts this year.
