Genesee County officials said the house fire that killed 17-year-old Erik Mooney started on the porch, where Mooney's mother, Judy Clark, said she had finished having a cigarette about 30 minutes prior to the fire.

Town of Batavia Fire Chief Bob Hunt said the fire is officially being called an accident, and that Mooney died as a result of smoke inhalation.

"The team of investigators that have been out to the scene have basically ruled out everything except for careless smoking," Hunt said. "It's the only thing that we can not rule out at this time."

Mooney's 15-year-old brother Mike doesn't buy the explanation. He survived the fire and still has bandaged cuts on his arms from when he broke a bathroom window to escape the burning home. Mooney said his mom was always careful about smoking, making sure to go outside and meticulously put out any cigarette.

"She's always been careful putting out cigarettes," he said. "She's always been careful smoking around us because she knows that we don't have any intentions of smoking (and) that we didn't like the smoke. It always bothered my nose and Erik had asthma so it always bothered him."

Close friends of the family are defensive of the conclusions while focusing on Mooney's family and their healing process.

"It just breaks my heart to hear people add on stuff that doesn't need to be said," Tom Hale, 18, a close friend of Erik Mooney and classmate at Oakfield-Alabama High School said. "It (the cause) is secondary, the most important thing is we've lost somebody that we didn't need to lose, and the family, they're fighting for their lives still."

While dealing with the loss of Erik, the family is also struggling to find a place to live, clothes, food, and raise money to pay for Erik's funeral.

A fund in Erik Mooney's name has been set up through M&T Bank's Oakfield Branch, 54 Main Street, Oakfield, (585) 948-5232.

A memorial service will be held Friday at the Oakfield-Alabama Central School Auditorium at 4 p.m.