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Mar 26, 2008 7:22 am US/Central
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Cigarette & Oxygen Spark House Fire In Arlington
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 News) ―
Fire officials said that an elderly woman fell asleep and started a fire. This happened at her home, located in the 1300 block of Inwood Drive in Arlington.
According to officials at the scene, the woman was using oxygen and smoking a cigarette on her sofa when she dozed off. "At this point, it's under investigation," said Battalion Chief David Stapp with the Arlington Fire Department. "But initially, it appears that the victim was smoking on the couch while hooked up to supplemental oxygen."
This dangerous combination sparked a fire right where the woman was resting. Fire officials said that the woman caught fire and could have literally exploded.
The victim was able to call 911. She is now in serious condition at Medical Center of Arlington. However, fire crews said that she is lucky to even be alive. "Very lucky," Stapp said. "Oxygen and fire don't mix very well."
A tenant was also inside the home at the time of the fire, but was not seriously injured.
Fire crews arrived on the scene within four minutes and found heavy smoke pouring out of the doorway to the home.
After getting the blaze under control, they noted that the situation was even more dangerous due to a lack of smoke detectors. "No smoke detectors, which would have alerted them much earlier," said Stapp. "Before our units left the scene, we installed a smoke detector."
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