Two fatal fires on opposite ends of the state had one disturbing factor in common.

Both homes lacked a smoke detector, state Fire Marshal's Office investigator Jason Baltic said.

Investigators still are working at the burned-out remains of a mobile home near Whitesville in Boone County and at those of a house near Charles Town in Jefferson County.

"Smoke detectors are a big problem around here," Baltic said. "I don't know why people don't put them in their houses. They're maybe $10. It doesn't make any sense."

In Boone County, Baltic said a man woke up to find the fire Sunday morning. He, a woman and 18-year-old Rocky Steele managed to escape, but Steele went back in to rescue pets inside. He didn't come back out.

Baltic said the fire reached oxygen tanks that were being stored in the home, causing at least one explosion. Steele's body was found in the middle of the home in what was believed to have been the living room.

A 66-year-old woman died Monday morning when her home in the Tuscawilla subdivision near Charles Town caught fire.  Her name has not yet been released.

A 25-year-old woman, who also had been in the home and is believed to be the woman's daughter, managed to escape through a window, Baltic said. She was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation, according to the Martinsburg Journal.

Baltic said those two deaths brought the state to 13 fire deaths for 2013.

The Fire Marshal's Office took to social media Monday, tweeting a link to followers for smoke detector information. Baltic said part of the agency's task is to educate.

"Everybody thinks that it won't happen to me, but at any time anything can happen to anybody," Baltic said. "The majority of fire fatalities are accidental fires, and a lot of them are children."

Fire departments regularly visit schools to speak to children about fire safety and prevention. Often, fire officials discover that children are more concerned about smoke detectors than the adults.  

"If you don't have one, get one and put it up and keep a good battery in it," Baltic said.

Contact writer Ashley B. Craig at ashley.cr...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4850.