Logan City Police have denied reports an elderly woman’s early morning cigarette is what caused a fatal unit fire in Woodridge this morning.
Emergency services could not revive the 73 year old woman who was dragged from her burning home, after she alerted them through her medical bracelet with piercing screams as the unit fire blazed around her.
A cigarette butt was found inside the scorched unit and it is believed the woman, who lived alone, was smoking around 1.30am.
Police have said this does not necessarily mean her smoking habit caused the fire.
Police have called next of kin, and said they are still investigating the cause of the fire despite believing it ‘was not suspicious’.
A spokesperson from Logan House Fire Support Network said emergency services were made aware of the fire because of the woman’s back-to-base medical bracelet.
It is understood emergency services heard the elderly woman screaming for her life through the medical device, as well as the unit smoke alarm going off.
First responders arrived on scene at Ewing Road just before 2am this morning, within eight minutes of being alerted of the fire.
They had to physically drag the elderly woman out of the destroyed unit, and then performed CPR.
They were unable to revive her. She sadly died at the scene of the fire.
First responders said the main bedroom of the unit had been gutted by the fire, however Woodridge and Loganlea fire fighters stopped the fire from spreading to other units.
The Personal distress device was found inside the burned unit on a shelf.
