East Orange Senior Dies After Stove Sets His Clothes On Fire: Prosecutor

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Essex County senior citizen suffered fatal injuries Sunday after his kitchen stove set his clothes on fire, authorities say.

Kouadio Loboue, 64, of East Orange, died after suffering injuries at his North Harrison Street home, according to a joint statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and East Orange Public Safety Director Sheilah Coley.

Prosecutors said that it appears the fire broke out around 2:52 p.m. as Loboue sat in a walker near his stove. Loboue was apparently using the stove to stay warm when his clothing caught fire, authorities said.

Loboue was pronounced dead at the scene, prosecutors stated. An investigation is ongoing.

The North Harrison Street blaze was the second fatal fire reported in East Orange on Sunday. Earlier in the day, an unrelated fire at a Midland Avenue home claimed the life of a 72-year-old woman and injured two others, including her son, authorities say.

• Read article: Fatal Essex County Fire Claims Senior Citizen’s Life; Injures 2 Others

Photo: Flickr Commons