Oxygen Tank Ignites Fire, Kills Massachusetts Woman

Authorities say a New Bedford, Massachusetts woman has died in a fire in her apartment when her oxygen tank ignited.

Fire Chief Brian Faria tells The Standard Times that the woman reported the fire herself at about 2:30 a.m. on Monday and was urged by the dispatcher to leave the building.

Faria says the victim’s body was found by firefighters on the floor near a couch, which was heavily damaged from the fire.

He says the fire is considered accidental and remains under investigation, although it appears the woman was a smoker and that’s what may have caused the oxygen to ignite.

Authorities did not release the woman’s name, but the landlord of the seven-unit apartment building says the victim was in her 50s and lived alone. No one else was hurt.