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Empressi Martin was sleeping on the third floor at 630 Summit Avenue when the fire began just after 4 a.m., the city Fire Department said in a statement. Her cause of death was determined to be smoke inhalation, they added.
Firefighters also identified the 56-year-old man who was badly burned in the blaze as David Martin. He was rescued from the home's basement and remains at Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest in critical condition with smoke inhalation and burns, officials wrote.
The Fire Department believes the blaze began on the home's first floor. An electric space heater was being improperly used, authorities said, which "ignited nearby combustible building contents" in the living room. The fire was ruled accidental.
In all, it took Reading firefighters about three hours to extinguish the flames, the fire marshal noted. The building is likely going to have to be demolished, and officials estimate the property damage to be about $100,000.
RFD also urges residents to follow the manufacturer's guidelines when using an electric space heater, per the statement.
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