RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A bedridden woman died in a house fire in Raleigh Sunday morning.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office responded to a fire on the 4809 of Leven Lane in Raleigh around 1 a.m.
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Authorities identified the woman as 71-year-old Janice Shafran.
The woman's son said he had checked on her before going out to a shed in the back of the home, according to deputies. He then smelled something burning and noticed smoke coming from the house. The son then ran to a neighbor's home to call 911. He tried to save her, but the smoke was too heavy.
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Investigators with the Fire Marshal's office determined the fire started after Shafran, who smokes, accidentally dropped a cigarette onto a tube that was attached to the oxygen tank next to her bed, which erupted into flames.