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AUBURN — An Auburn woman died Friday night in a fire when her cigarette ignited the oxygen she was using, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The body of Denise Fraser, 65, was found in her bedroom at 8 Itnner Ave. on  Friday night by her husband, Barry, when he came home from work.

Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Fraser was smoking a cigarette at the same time as using oxygen, which caused the oxygen to ignite.

“When the oxygen ignited, it caused her to literally inhale a ball of fire,” McCausland said.

He added that it’s the second death this year involving smoking while using oxygen.

Fraser had been on oxygen for the past year for a health ailment, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

All damage from the fire was contained to Fraser’s bed.

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Matthew Daigle is a court reporter at the Norway bureau of the Sun Journal and has worked for the company for more than six years. He covers the courts, Oxford County government, and the towns of Norway,...

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