Published: Thursday, December 15, 2005
Retirement center resident badly burned in Everett fire
EVERETT - A woman suffered severe burns in an apartment fire at Broadway Plaza retirement center in downtown Everett early Wednesday, according to the Everett Fire Department.
The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent to 90 percent of her body, said Rick Robinson, Everett assistant fire marshal.
Her condition was not known Wednesday. Robinson said he couldn't release the woman's age, citing a federal privacy law that prevents hospitals and care providers from releasing medical information.
An automatic fire alarm alerted Everett firefighters to the fire just after 5 a.m., Robinson said. A witness reported smoke coming from a third-floor room.
A cigarette likely ignited the woman's nightgown, Robinson said, and the fire spread to a small patch of carpet. A neighbor rushed into the apartment and extinguished the burning carpet.
Firefighters didn't have to evacuate anyone at the retirement center. Some residents left the building when the alarm went off, Robinson said. No one else was hurt in the fire.
Robinson said the smoke detector quickly alerted residents and the fire department. He urged residents to check the batteries on their smoke detectors.
"A working smoke detector will get an earlier response, and people have a better chance of escaping," he said.
The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent to 90 percent of her body, said Rick Robinson, Everett assistant fire marshal.
Her condition was not known Wednesday. Robinson said he couldn't release the woman's age, citing a federal privacy law that prevents hospitals and care providers from releasing medical information.
An automatic fire alarm alerted Everett firefighters to the fire just after 5 a.m., Robinson said. A witness reported smoke coming from a third-floor room.
A cigarette likely ignited the woman's nightgown, Robinson said, and the fire spread to a small patch of carpet. A neighbor rushed into the apartment and extinguished the burning carpet.
Firefighters didn't have to evacuate anyone at the retirement center. Some residents left the building when the alarm went off, Robinson said. No one else was hurt in the fire.
Robinson said the smoke detector quickly alerted residents and the fire department. He urged residents to check the batteries on their smoke detectors.
"A working smoke detector will get an earlier response, and people have a better chance of escaping," he said.
Comments
(
