A 54-year-old woman was transported to Euclid Hospital after firefighters said a lit cigarette started a fire in her home at 54 Sunny Cliff Drive.
The Euclid Fire Department responded to the scene at 1:16 a.m. March 22 after the woman awoke to flames within the couch she was asleep on in the two-story home.
Upon arrival, crews found the woman enveloped in smoke, standing in the front doorway. They removed her and transferred her to awaiting paramedics. They then entered and conducting a search while extinguishing the fire, which had spread to involve the entire contents of the first-floor living room.
The fire was ruled accidental, originating on the couch the woman had fallen asleep on while smoking a cigarette. Home oxygen helped the fire start and burn more intensely, the department said. Only one of the three smoke alarms in the home had a battery.
Preliminary loss estimate for the building and contents is $40,000.
“The dangers of smoking and home oxygen use cannot be overstated,” Platoon Chief Michael Gulya wrote in a news release. “Excess oxygen soaks into common household materials allowing them to ignite at lower temperatures and burn with a higher intensity. Also, working smoke alarms save lives. Change batteries every six months and change the alarms themselves within 10 years of the date of manufacture on the back.”
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