A resident of one of Hannibal’s largest hi-rise apartment buildings died in a fire Saturday morning.

Firefighters were called to Laura Hawkins Hall at 11th and Broadway just before 8 a.m. Saturday.

They arrived to find heavy smoke on the third floor of the six-story building.
The fire was confined to one room on the third floor and was put out in about ten minutes.

The building was evacuated while smoke was cleared from the building, with some residents going across the street to the low rise facility and some going to the gym at nearby First Christian Church.

An investigation determined the fire to be accidental. The blaze apparently started when a resident fell asleep while smoking a cigarette. That resident, whose identity has not been revealed, died in the fire.

More From KHMO-AM 1070, News-Talk-Sports