79-year-old Maine woman critically injured when she tried to start brush fire with gas

A Winslow woman was critically injured Saturday when she tried to start a brush fire with gasoline.

The 79-year-old woman, whom authorities declined to identify, was in the backyard behind her Benton Avenue home about 12:04 p.m. when she put gas on a brush pile to start a fire, according to the Waterville Morning Sentinel .

She was burned over 40 percent of her body, leaving her critically injured, the Sentinel reported.

The woman was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Winslow Deputy Fire Chief Michael Murphy told the Sentinel that no one should ever “use any accelerant to start a brush fire.”