WESTBROOK – A Westbrook man set himself on fire and died early Wednesday morning after trying to smoke while using an oxygen tank.

Gerald Demers, 63, died on the front porch of his home at 9 Tramway Lane at 4:01 a.m., according to Michael Pardue, Westbrook director of public safety.

Police and firefighters arrived after getting a report of a man on fire. Pardue said they found Demers lying on the porch, engulfed in flames.

“Efforts to revive the man proved unsuccessful,” fire officials said in a statement.

Investigators from Westbrook and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the fire, but Pardue said the fire was most likely caused by Demers smoking while using an oxygen tank.

“We always, always have to emphasize that no one should ever, ever have smoking implements near oxygen,” Pardue said.

On Wednesday, neighbors of Demers, who declined to be identified, said they thought Demers was a nice gentleman who occasionally chatted with them. His residence is on the bottom floor of a two-story duplex in a small cluster of apartment buildings near the center of town. Dark soot stained the floor of the porch on the lower level late Wednesday morning, but otherwise there was no sign anything had happened.

Pardue said there was no damage to the building, and no one else was hurt. Pardue said some family members were living with Demers at the time, and that they are staying with other family members for now.

Westbrook Public Safety and state fire marshal officials respond
Wednesday to investigate the death of Gerald Demers, who died in a
fire shortly after 4 a.m. on his porch at 9 Tramway Lane. (Staff
photo by Robert Lowell)

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