Fatal house fire in Charlottetown was cooking related, department says

A fire that claimed the life of a 71-year-old woman in Charlottetown late last week was related to cooking, the city's fire department said.

The department responded to a house fire on Parricus Mead Drive in the West Royalty areajust before 10 p.m. on Thursday.

The woman who died at the scene was the onlyoccupant of the home.

Charlottetown's deputy fire chief Kent Mitchell said there were no working smoke alarms in the residence.

"[Charlottetown Fire Department] implores residents to ensure there are working smoke alarms in their home and not to leave cooking unattended," Mitchell said.

The department responded with nine trucks and around 36 firefighters. Crews were on the scene until the followngmorning.