I spent my adult life working insurance claims. One of the more memorable claims involves a hoarder. I was called to a residential, fatal fire that killed the resident who was a hoarder. Every room in this two story, three bedroom house with a full basement was filled to the ceiling. The fire marshal said the fire started when the weight of contents in the kitchen, put excessive pressure on some matches at the bottom of the contents, and the matches ignited causing the fire. The resident was sleeping upstair and panicked when she smelled smoke. In her attempt to exit the home, she inadvertently knocked over some of her possessions, blocking her path out of the room, and out of the home. Because of the amount of the contents in her home, she became trapped and died of smoke inhalation. In short, her hoarding caused her demise.