A woman suffered moderate injuries and a person who tried to rescue her sustained minor injuries this evening after an apartment in a duplex caught fire while the woman smoked in bed.
The fire was reported at 6:35 p.m. in the 2000 block of Marlborough Avenue, according to Riverside Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Perna.
Smoke was showing from the rear unit of the single-story duplex when firefighters arrived, Perna said.
“Crews made an interior fire attack and found a victim at the back door trying to get out,” he said. “They rescued the victim from harm and extinguished the fire in the main bedroom.”
The woman, whose name and age were not disclosed, told firefighters she fell asleep while smoking in bed, Perna said. She was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital for further treatment.
A second patient was treated at the scene for injuries suffered while trying to rescue her, he said.
Firefighters put out the fire at 6:54 p.m., he said.
Loss was estimated at $17,000, Perna said.