Virginia Beach, Va. – An 83-year-old woman has died after fire officials say she accidentally set her clothing on fire while smoking.
They say this happened in the 2500 block of Bayview Avenue on Feb. 7th. Fire crews were notified about the incident at 6 p.m.
When they got there, they found the woman inside of the home suffering from what they say were significant burns. She suffered burns to 35% of her body and she also had injuries to her respiratory tract.
They say the fire was contained to the woman’s clothes and the master bedroom.
She was initially taken to Little Creek base and she was then airlifted to Norfolk General’s Burn Trauma Unit. She died the next day.
Fire officials in Virginia Beach say this is the 3rd individual who has died in a fire so far this year. They say they’ve seen increase in fire deaths in the city since 2012. Older individuals, according to the US Fire Administration, experience a disproportionate share of fire deaths.
