UNION —  An elderly resident of an assisted living facility in Union was seriously burned Thursday, May 9, when she attempted to light a cigarette. 

An investigator with the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office said, according to the Maine Office of Public Safety, that Sally Elliot, 76, was outside Crawford Commons at 132 Middle Road in Union attempting to light a cigarette when her clothing caught fire. 

Staff members put the fire out and called an ambulance.   

Elliot was taken to Miles Hospital in Damariscotta and then transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland.  She is being treated for severe burns to the upper half of her body.