81-year-old woman dies after fire at Edgewater high-rise

Authorities say careless use of smoking materials led to a fire at an Edgewater high-rise that left an 81-year-old woman dead on Friday.

Crews responded to the blaze on the 26th floor of a building in the 5300 block of North Sheridan about 8:30 a.m., according to Fire Media Affairs. The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, a high-rise senior living facility, is located at 5333 N. Sheridan.

The fire was extinguished soon after, officials said.

Ann Turner was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital and then transferred to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m., according to fire officials and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She lived in the building where the fire started, authorities said.

An autopsy on Saturday found she died of thermal injuries in the fire caused by careless use of smoking materials, with heart disease listed as a secondary cause. Her death was ruled an accident.