An Auburn woman received third-degree burns.
By Mark LaFlamme
Staff Writer

AUBURN – A woman suffered burns and smoke inhalation Monday morning when she apparently fell asleep with a lit cigarette while in bed.

Terri Lynn Caito, 41, was treated for second and third degree burns to her legs suffered while beating down flames that burned through her mattress.

Fire officials said Caito had been lying in bed with a cigarette shortly before 11 a.m. at her first-floor apartment at 13 Gamage Ave.

At some point, the cigarette fell onto the bed, igniting the mattress, bedding and box spring, investigators said.

Caito woke up as her bed was burning and attempted to snuff out the flames as thick smoke rolled through the room. Firefighters were called and a tenant who lives on the second floor rushed in to help Caito.

“Between her and an upstairs neighbor, they were able to knock the fire down,” said fire prevention officer Lt. Gary Simard.

When fire crews arrived, they dragged the mattress, box spring and blanket from the house and doused the smoldering items in the front yard.

Simard said fire damage inside the apartment was mostly limited to the bed Caito had been lying on.

The lieutenant was called to investigate the source of the fire shortly after the flames were extinguished.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com