Woman dies after accidentally setting herself on fire

A 51-year-old Porterville woman appears to have burned to death after accidentally setting herself on fire, the Porterville Police Department reports.

At just before 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of West Morton Avenue for a report of a death. At the home, officers discovered the body of an unidentified 51-year-old woman in the kitchen, and PPD detectives were summoned to the scene to take over the investigation.

Working with the Porterville Fire Department, the detectives determined the woman had inadvertently set herself on fire while using her kitchen stove, dying as a result of her injuries.

There were no signs of foul play or a crime, and fire investigators and the Tulare County Coroner’s Office took control of the scene.