RALEIGH, N.C. -
Six out of the seven college students killed last month in a beach house fire had alcohol in their systems, although a prosecutor said he doesn't believe drinking played a role in the deaths.
The blood-alcohol levels ranged from .16 percent to .29 percent, Dr. John Butts, the state's chief medical examiner, said Friday. The legal limit for driving in North Carolina is .08 percent, and Butts said the alcohol levels may have affected the students' coordination and "their ability to respond."
They weren't driving and there's no suggestion the drinking had anything to do with the fire.