Update: 73-Year-Old Woman Who Escaped Burning Home Has Died
Update: Maria Villalobos, the 73-year-old woman who escaped her burning home in Central El Paso on Wednesday, has died.
Villalobos was flown to the Lubbock burn center Wednesday afternoon where she died. She had second and third degree burns to 60 percent of her body.
Previous Story:By ABC-7’s Marissa Monroy A 73-year-old woman managed to escape her burning home on the 5000 block of Haynesworth as her clothes were being burned off by the flames.
Neighbors said they were able to help her escape because they heard her screams.
“I heard the lady screaming and screaming,” Alfredo Vargas said. “I thought something else was going on like maybe someone was breaking into her house or something. When I went outside, I saw the smoke, I called right away 911.”
Fire Dept. officials said the woman, whose name has not been released, was cleaning her floors with the cleaning solution naphtha, which is similar to kerosene.
The solution ignited, setting the woman on fire.
The woman suffered second and third degree burns over 60 percent of her body and has been airlifted to the Lubbock burn center where she is in critical condition. She was the only one in the home at the time of the fire.
Firefighters received that call at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday morning. When they arrived, fire officials said they saw smoke and flames shooting out from the house. More than 30 firefighters responded to the blaze. Investigators said the woman was the only one home at the time.
Neighbors said the woman ran out of the home with only her underwear on. Fire burned the rest of her clothing.
“I grabbed this hose, and then the other neighbor grabbed the other house and we took it and helped the lady with a blanket,” Vargas said. “We covered her up. It looked really bad like she had gotten some burns on her body.”
Neighbors said the woman told crews the fire started in the kitchen, but officials say they are still looking into the official cause.
“You never know when things will happen,” Vargas said. “When things happen, you just have to be ready.”
Fire investigators estimate about $40,000 worth of damage to the home.
