A 67-year-old woman, Patsy Garcia, was killed in a fire atathe Sweetridge Apartments in Eunice at about 9 a.m. Sunday.
First responders were at the scene in the 1500 block of West Maple Avenue, Apt. 32.
The fire originated in the living area of the two-bedroom unit, according to Brant Thompson, deputy state fire marshal.
Thompson said Garcia was using a mechanical oxygen distribution system when the fire started.
The cause of fire is officially undetermined.
Thompson said in addition to the oxygen system, electrical cords, lamps and other electrical items were found.
The Eunice fire was one of three deaths and two critical injuries that occurred from Friday through Sunday in four residential blazes in Louisiana, according to a news release from the Louisiana State Fire Marshal office.
Those fires, which remain under investigation, occurred in Jefferson, Morehouse, St. Landry, and Webster parishes:
– A 42-year-old Sarepta woman remains in critical condition for burns to over 40% of her body.
– Benjamin Ford, 58, died as a result of a residential structure fire in Kenner.
– In Bastrop, a 3-year-old girl, Trinity Jones, died in a house fire. Two others, including a one-year-old girl and a 54-year-old woman, were transported to area hospitals for treatment of injuries sustained in the fire.
–A 67-year-old woman, Patsy Garcia, died in a fire in her home in Eunice.
Investigators determined that in three of the four fires, the homes had no working smoke alarms. In the home that had a working smoke alarm, the victim suffered from a health condition that may have adversely affected her mobility.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office urges citizens to ensure that their homes are properly equipped with working smoke alarms.
Since the beginning of the year, 17 lives have been lost and six people were critically injured in residential structure fires.
