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Police believe the fire that killed an Oamaru teenager was not suspicious.
Lachlan McLean, 18, died when a fire broke out at the flat he was staying in with his mates. Five of them got out. He didn't.
Detective Warren Duncan said yesterday it was difficult to know what had caused the fire, which began in the lounge where Mr McClean had been sleeping.
"There are a number of scenarios and it's difficult to narrow it down. We may never know what caused it," he said.
Detective Duncan said police and fire investigators were confident the fire was not suspicious.
"It was likely it was a tragic accident with a tragic end," he said.
He believed it was not until everyone had got together outside that they realised Lachlan was missing.
"It was very confusing - full of smoke, very disorienting," he said.
Some confusion has surrounded earlier reports that Lachlan attempted to wake his fellow flatmates before succumbing to smoke inhalation himself. But Detective Duncan did not think this could have happened because he believed the teenager had died in his sleep.
-OAMARU MAIL
