Elderly Woman Critically Hurt After Cigarette Ignites Fire
An elderly woman was in critical condition and her son was in serious but stable condition Friday after they were burned in a fire that raced through a room of their home in the Jefferson Park neighborhood Thursday evening, city fire officials said.
The fire, in the 2000 block of west 28th Street, started after a lit cigarette ignited a piece of furniture, spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
Beebee Nickerson, 81, suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60% of her body and was on a respirator Friday, said a representative for County-USC Medical Center.
Her 61-year-old son, Howard, is also at the hospital with first- and second-degree burns over 6% of his body. No information was available on two others who suffered minor injuries.
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