Elderly Woman Rescued When Heating Pad Catches Fire

Murrieta firefighters rescued an elderly woman from her smoke-filled home early Friday after a heated rice bag caught fire on her mattress, according to the Murrieta Fire Department.

Just after midnight Friday, crews with the Murrieta Fire Department arrived to find smoke coming from a home in the 23000 block of Via Barletta, which is in The Colony retirement community, Murrieta fire Engineer/Paramedic Matt Corelli stated in a news release.

Crews were notified someone was in the home, and when they made access they found a woman in her 80s walking through her smoke-filled hallway attempting to get out of the house, he stated.

"The resident who was sleeping at the time of the fire was alerted by her smoke detectors and attempted to exit her home with the use of a walking assistance device," Corelli stated.

"The firefighters entered the structure and carried the woman to safety where she was treated and released to family members."

The cause of the fire was determined to be a heated rice bag that caught fire on the woman's mattress in her bedroom. The woman had been using the bag as a form of therapy to treat her body ailments, he stated.

The fire was confined to the bedroom and damage is estimated at approximately $1,000, according to Corelli.