North Carolina woman on oxygen killed when her cigarette blows up tank

NASH COUNTY, N.C. — A North Carolina woman was killed Tuesday when the cigarette she was smoking ignited her nearby oxygen tank, authorities said.

According to Nash County deputies, Belinda Coble, 61, had medical issues that made it necessary for her to be on an oxygen tank, the Rocky Mount Telegram and WITN reported.

Emergency crews were called to Coble’s home Tuesday morning, after officials said her cigarette caused a small explosion and fire that killed her, WITN reported.

Coble’s husband was asleep in another room, WNCN reported. The explosion and the smoke alarm woke him up, the television station reported.

The woman’s husband called 911 to report the fire, WRAL reported. He was able to extinguish the fire, which caused minimal property damage, according to a release from the Nash County Sheriff’s Office.

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