Grandmother smoking while on oxygen treatment starts house fire, Wichita official says

Wichita fire investigators determined that the cause of an early Monday morning house fire was a woman smoking while on her oxygen treatment, Wichita Fire Lt. Jose Ocadiz said at a Monday news briefing.

The woman’s grandchild was in the home at the time of the fire, he said.

When firefighters responded to the house fire in the 300 block of South Vassar at 2:29 a.m., crews saw smoke and fire coming from the front of the home, Ocadiz said.

Firefighters “stretched an attack line through front door for offensive attack,” according to a tweet from the department.

Another firefighter then forced open a back door and pulled a victim to safety, Ocadiz said. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, the woman was conscious and talking, Ocadiz said.

About $40,000 in damage was caused by the fire.