A 72 year-old woman who was rescued just minutes after a fire broke out in her Hamilton apartment, died in a Seattle hospital where she was sent for treatment of her injuries.

Hamilton Fire Chief Brad Mohn said the fire was called in just before 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

"We had a structure fire on Thursday afternoon and a 72 year-old female was inside the upper apartment where the fire originated," Mohn said. "The apartment was located just behind city hall and the police station, so the police chief and I were able to respond quickly. I was on scene in about two minutes and we had her out of the apartment within about five minutes of the call coming in."

Mohn said the woman's injuries were severe.

"The victim was smoking in bed and she was also on oxygen, so it was an oxygen-rich environment, so the combination is not a good thing," he said. "Anything burns when it's in an oxygen-rich environment. She was transported to the local hospital, and then later in the evening was flown to, I believe, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where she passed away due to complications from her injuries on Friday morning."

Mohn said one other person was injured in the fire.

"The tenant of the downstairs apartment received some smoke inhalation and was transported to Marcus Daly Hospital where she was kept overnight for observation, but she was released on Friday afternoon."

 

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