101-year-old woman dies while cooking herself a meal

MELROSE, Mass. – Authorities say a 101-year-old suburban Boston woman died when a stovetop fire spread through her kitchen and ignited her clothing.

The Massachusetts Fire Marshal’s office and the Middlesex District Attorney’s office didn’t release the victim’s name. She died Wednesday in her home in Melrose, about 10 miles north of Boston.

Melrose Fire Chief Christopher Leary offered his department’s condolences in a statement lamenting “a sad end to a long, vibrant life.”

Leary says firefighters found the woman’s body on the ground floor of the two-family home. She was alone and appeared to have been cooking herself a meal.

Officials say the residence had no working smoke alarms.

State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey says it’s the second fire death this year involving an elderly woman who was cooking.