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Mass. cooking fire claims 101-year-old woman

Melrose Fire Chief Christopher Leary offered his department’s condolences in a statement lamenting “a sad end to a long, vibrant life”

Boston Herald

MELROSE, Mass. — A 101-year-old Melrose woman died Wednesday when a stove top fire apparently spread through her kitchen and ignited her clothing, authorities say.

The state Fire Marshal’s office and the Middlesex District Attorney’s office didn’t release the victim’s name.

Melrose Fire Chief Christopher Leary offered his department’s condolences in a statement lamenting “a sad end to a long, vibrant life.”

Leary said firefighters found the woman’s body on the ground floor of the two-family home.

She was alone and appeared to have been cooking herself a meal.

Officials say that the residence had no working smoke alarms.

State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said it is the second fire death this year in Massachusetts involving an elderly woman who was cooking.

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