East Lyme ― Investigators have concluded an overheated electrical cord in a first-floor dining room caused the Jan. 12 fire that resulted in the deaths of a Willow Lane man and his caretaker.

Town Fire Marshal William Bundy said Thursday his office, in conjunction with the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Unit, determined the cause of the fire at 13 Willow Lane was accidental.

Merril Lozanov, 95, who lived at the address, and Otolegile Morulane, 46, the caretaker, who was from the Republic of Botswana, Africa, both died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said earlier this week. The deaths were ruled accidental.

Bundy said his office was working with the Hartford office of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine whether Morulane was working for an employer under OSHA jurisdiction.

All such employers are required to report workplace fatalities within eight hours.