NSW: Woman in hospital after cigarette sets home alight
28 Dec 2008 9:13 AM
SYDNEY, Dec 28 AAP - An elderly woman has been carried unconscious to hospital after her western Sydney was set ablaze apparently by a cigarette, NSW Fire Brigades say.
Neighbours of the single-storey Department of Housing home on Yugilbar Avenue, Villawood, called NSW Fire Brigades just before 1am (AEDT) on Sunday after hearing a smoke alarm go off.
Firefighters found smoke billowing from the rear of the house.
"They had to force entry through the back. Once they got inside they found a woman in her late sixties lying unconscious on the floor," Fire Brigades spokesman Tom Cooper told AAP.
Firefighters removed the woman and gave her oxygen until the ambulance arrived a short time later and transported her to Liverpool Hospital.
"She was still unconscious when she left for hospital," Mr Cooper said.
NSW police said the woman was suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, but the woman's current condition was unsure.
Neighbours told firefighters the woman had a 40-year-old son who lived in the front of the home, but he wasn't home at the time of the fire.
A dog and two canaries were also rescued from the blaze and are being looked after by neighbours, Mr Cooper said.
Firefighters managed to contain the fire, believed to have been caused by a cigarette, to the bedroom, he added.
