Longview Woman Dies of Fire-Related Injuries

LONGVIEW — A Longview woman who sustained injuries during a house fire in October has died. That word came Wednesday from her family, according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The Longview Fire Department sats a home near Idylwood Drive and 12th Street caught fire October 19. Officials at the scene said Phylis Bridges suffered burns and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. An 18-year-old man reportedly helped save the woman and called for help. Another man and a 3-year-old were also inside the house at the time of the fire. Assistant Fire Chief Curtis Shaw says Bridges was placed in the intensive care unit. The other adult and child were treated for smoke inhalation. Shaw said a firefighter suffered minor burns and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Bridges’s death is the only known fire-related death Longview has had this year, said Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary. Though the cause of the fire remains undetermined, Zackary said all residents should double-check their fire alarms to ensure they are properly installed and have fresh batteries. “A few seconds more could have been the difference in her surviving that fire,” he said. “She did get out, but by then she had already sustained severe burn injuries.”