Woman reports falling asleep with cigarette in hand before Tuesday fire

 

Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today/Tom Scott

A woman who escaped a Tuesday morning fire with her son and dog told authorities she fell asleep with a cigarette in her hand.

The fire was reported at about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday on Smith Road in Anderson County, east of Oliver Springs in Marlow.

The 77-year-old woman who lives at the home woke up to her hand being burned, said the incident commander, Captain Jordan Alcorn of the Oliver Springs Fire Department.

She activated a Life Alert emergency alarm and fled the home with her son and small dog, said Alcorn, who is also an Oak Ridge firefighter.

When Life Alert couldn’t reach her, an ambulance was dispatched.

But the ambulance crew saw smoke coming from the home, Alcorn said. The front and rear doors were open, and the woman and son were outside.

Kevin Brown, a member of the ambulance crew who is also an Oak Ridge firefighter, shut the doors, Alcorn said.

That action helped prevent the fire from spreading and allowed it to remain in a manageable state, Alcorn said. The fire was confined to the woman’s bedroom.

“The actions by the medic greatly minimized the amount of damage,” Alcorn said.

Authorities say that closed doors can help prevent fire and smoke from spreading, and deprive a fire of oxygen.

Alcorn said the resident had a minor burn to her wrist and hand area, but she did not require treatment or transportation to a hospital.

He said Oliver Springs received an automatic aid call to the fire at about 6:59 a.m. Tuesday and arrived about the same time as the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.

The fire damaged the woman’s mattress and a small trash can. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said it also damaged a section of carpet by the bed.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

 

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