THE woman seriously injured in a fire in a block of flats in York has died.

Catherine Cochrane, 66, died in York District Hospital last night after suffering 80 per cent burns in Monday's blaze.

Eight people were rescued from the blaze at Rogers Court, in the Foxwood area.

Investigations have established the fire was caused by smokers' materials.

As revealed in later editions of yesterday's Evening Press, careless smoking was blamed for a second North Yorkshire fire which killed a pensioner and left another seriously ill.

Winifred Blower, 79, also died yesterday after she was engulfed by flames as she sat on her sofa at her Scarborough home on Tuesday evening.

Neighbour Catherine Airey, 74, was alerted by smoke alarms but collapsed from a heart attack after escaping from the two-storey block in North Cliff Avenue.Her condition in the town's hospital was today described as "very poorly".Mrs Blower set fire to the sofa after sitting down for a smoke, an investigation has established.Fire chiefs are now urging people not to smoke in bed or when tired, to stub out butts and empty ashtrays.

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