South Carolina woman dies when sandwich wrapped in foil catches fire in microwave

A South Carolina woman died in a house fire caused when she tried to warm up a sandwich wrapped in foil in her microwave, which burst into flames.

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Thommie Ruth Jackson, 67, was inside her home on May 23 at about 8:30 p.m. when the microwave burst into flames, according to a report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office . Jackson shared the home with her sister.

When deputies arrived heavy smoke billowed from the home and they could hear someone screaming for help. The smoke was too thick for the deputies to enter the house, the sheriff’s office reported.

The State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Sumter Fire Department determined the fire was caused by placing aluminum foil in the microwave, and poor living conditions caused the fire to spread quickly and hindered firefighters’ efforts to put out the fire, WCIV reported.

Authorities said the fire was accidental. Officials are awaiting an autopsy report to determine the cause of death, the news outlet reported.