WEST OCEAN CITY — The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a fire at a temporary dwelling in West Ocean City last Saturday morning that resulted in burn injuries for one indigenous individual.
Around 9 a.m. last Saturday, the Ocean City Fire Department received a 911 call about a reported structure in the woods along Elm Street in West Ocean City. Officials arrived and found a small temporary dwelling on fire and one individual with burns. The fire was quickly extinguished and the victim, a 46-year-old homeless woman, was transpired to the hospital for treatment.
The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the victim had returned to her makeshift shelter on Elm Street and was filling her kerosene heater when the fire occurred. According to the Fire Marshal’s Office, she received burns to her feet and hands as she attempted to extinguish the fire.
The victim’s identity and status have been made known as of midweek. The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of the fire was due to the use of gasoline in a portable kerosene heater.
