A Silverton Fire Company truck. (Credit: Aaron Mott/Flickr)
Police say a cooking-related fire severely injured a Toms River woman, who was flown by medevac helicopter to a burn center.
The fire was reported to authorities at 5:20 p.m. Friday. According to police spokesman Ralph Stocco, said an initial investigation shows the woman was cooking on the stovetop when a can of nonstick spray exploded. The contents then released super-heated liquid and flames onto the victim, causing her injuries.
The 46-year-old woman, whose name was not released, lives on Almond Drive. She met officers at the door with “extensive” burns to her face, torso and thighs.
Officer Anthony Paciulli saw a heavy smoke condition from within the residence when he arrived, and made his way to the kitchen where he located a small fire. The fire was extinguished and the woman was transported to a burn center by medevac helicopter, Stocco said.
The patient was treated by Silverton Volunteer EMS and the Silverton Fire Department arrived to secure the scene and ventilate the home of excess smoke. Detective James Carey, of the Toms River Police Department and Arson Detective Thomas Haskell from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office are conducting the investigation. Also assisting is Investigator Domenick Roseli of the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention.
