FATAL: Seattle fire kills independent 91-year-old
By The Seattle Times
At age 91, Alice Goldsworthy valued her independence, insisting on living in the house she and her husband built 60 years ago, even when her knees gave out and she had to be carried down the steps.
She was in that Magnolia home Thursday when a heater caused a fire in the living room while she was sleeping. She died in the fire.
Firefighters arrived at the home in the 1900 block of Clise Place West at about 5:15 a.m. after neighbors reported flames shooting up from the roof.
Firefighters found Goldsworthy's body in a bedroom.
A Seattle Fire Department investigation determined that the blaze was caused by a baseboard heater that ignited a couch in front of it. Damage to the home was estimated at $250,000.
The victim's son, Guy Goldsworthy, said he had talked to his mother the night before and had planned to pick her up Thursday to go to Thanksgiving dinner at her grandson's house.
Instead he struggled to comprehend what went wrong.
In March, a towel caught on fire in the bathroom, and the house was inspected by firefighters and an insurance company. "Everyone went through the house to make sure it wouldn't happen again," he said.
The baseboard heater had burned the couch 10 years ago, but the family put in a new electric wall heater to replace it, he said.
"We were convinced it was not operational or even connected," he said.
Temperatures dropping unusually low Tuesday may have triggered it to start.
[Information from www.tri-cityherald.com]
By The Seattle Times
At age 91, Alice Goldsworthy valued her independence, insisting on living in the house she and her husband built 60 years ago, even when her knees gave out and she had to be carried down the steps.
She was in that Magnolia home Thursday when a heater caused a fire in the living room while she was sleeping. She died in the fire.
Firefighters arrived at the home in the 1900 block of Clise Place West at about 5:15 a.m. after neighbors reported flames shooting up from the roof.
Firefighters found Goldsworthy's body in a bedroom.
A Seattle Fire Department investigation determined that the blaze was caused by a baseboard heater that ignited a couch in front of it. Damage to the home was estimated at $250,000.
The victim's son, Guy Goldsworthy, said he had talked to his mother the night before and had planned to pick her up Thursday to go to Thanksgiving dinner at her grandson's house.
Instead he struggled to comprehend what went wrong.
In March, a towel caught on fire in the bathroom, and the house was inspected by firefighters and an insurance company. "Everyone went through the house to make sure it wouldn't happen again," he said.
The baseboard heater had burned the couch 10 years ago, but the family put in a new electric wall heater to replace it, he said.
"We were convinced it was not operational or even connected," he said.
Temperatures dropping unusually low Tuesday may have triggered it to start.
[Information from www.tri-cityherald.com]
FATAL: Seattle fire kills independent 91-year-old
By The Seattle Times
At age 91, Alice Goldsworthy valued her independence, insisting on living in the house she and her husband built 60 years ago, even when her knees gave out and she had to be carried down the steps.
She was in that Magnolia home Thursday when a heater caused a fire in the living room while she was sleeping. She died in the fire.
Firefighters arrived at the home in the 1900 block of Clise Place West at about 5:15 a.m. after neighbors reported flames shooting up from the roof.
Firefighters found Goldsworthy's body in a bedroom.
A Seattle Fire Department investigation determined that the blaze was caused by a baseboard heater that ignited a couch in front of it. Damage to the home was estimated at $250,000.
The victim's son, Guy Goldsworthy, said he had talked to his mother the night before and had planned to pick her up Thursday to go to Thanksgiving dinner at her grandson's house.
Instead he struggled to comprehend what went wrong.
In March, a towel caught on fire in the bathroom, and the house was inspected by firefighters and an insurance company. "Everyone went through the house to make sure it wouldn't happen again," he said.
The baseboard heater had burned the couch 10 years ago, but the family put in a new electric wall heater to replace it, he said.
"We were convinced it was not operational or even connected," he said.
Temperatures dropping unusually low Tuesday may have triggered it to start.
[Information from www.tri-cityherald.com]
By The Seattle Times
At age 91, Alice Goldsworthy valued her independence, insisting on living in the house she and her husband built 60 years ago, even when her knees gave out and she had to be carried down the steps.
She was in that Magnolia home Thursday when a heater caused a fire in the living room while she was sleeping. She died in the fire.
Firefighters arrived at the home in the 1900 block of Clise Place West at about 5:15 a.m. after neighbors reported flames shooting up from the roof.
Firefighters found Goldsworthy's body in a bedroom.
A Seattle Fire Department investigation determined that the blaze was caused by a baseboard heater that ignited a couch in front of it. Damage to the home was estimated at $250,000.
The victim's son, Guy Goldsworthy, said he had talked to his mother the night before and had planned to pick her up Thursday to go to Thanksgiving dinner at her grandson's house.
Instead he struggled to comprehend what went wrong.
In March, a towel caught on fire in the bathroom, and the house was inspected by firefighters and an insurance company. "Everyone went through the house to make sure it wouldn't happen again," he said.
The baseboard heater had burned the couch 10 years ago, but the family put in a new electric wall heater to replace it, he said.
"We were convinced it was not operational or even connected," he said.
Temperatures dropping unusually low Tuesday may have triggered it to start.
[Information from www.tri-cityherald.com]
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