An 89-year-old woman who suffered severe burns during a house fire at 928 Center St. mid-morning Tuesday died of her injuries, Conway fire chief Bart Castleberry said.

“It’s a tragedy,” Castleberry said.

Dorthea Thompson was air lifted from a nearby church parking lot on Prince Street to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at about noon Tuesday. At that time, Castleberry described her condition as “critical.”

A candle in a bedroom started the fire.

Flames were not visible from the street, but smoke billowed from the roof of the home. Concerned friends and neighbors gathered in nearby yards. The Conway Police Department blocked off streets to assist firefighters.

Thompson’s great-grandson, Zachary Mullican, about 20, was upstairs when he heard the smoke alarm. He went downstairs and discovered smoke and fire, Castleberry said. He looked for Thompson and found her already burned and in a bathtub.

“Her (great) grandson scooped her up and got her out,” Castleberry said.

Castleberry said Thompson was burned before she got into the bathtub. He described her as “lucid” before Baptist Health MedFlight flew her to the hospital.

“She was a very, strong little lady,” Castleberry said.

Firefighters contained the fire to two rooms, including the bedroom, Castleberry said. Both rooms were “heavily damaged” and the rest of the home had smoke damage, he said.

Castleberry said the investigation into the fire is closed. Conway Police Department spokeswoman La Tresha Woodruff said earlier the police department doesn’t plan an investigation and referred questions to the fire department.

Thompson’s death is the second fire fatality in 2012, Castleberry said. In March, Tom Southerland died of injuries from a house fire near Blaney Hill Road.

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Update from Tuesday:

The woman who was severely burned in a house fire today died of her injuries, Conway fire chief Bart Castleberry said.

"It's a tragedy," Castleberry said.

The fire was started by a lighted candle in the bedroom. Two rooms, including the bedroom, were heavily damaged in the fire. The rest of the house had smoke damage, Castleberry said.

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(noon) An 89-year-old woman suffered severe burns during a house fire at 928 Center St. mid-morning today, Conway fire chief Bart Castleberry said.

Dorthea Thompson was air lifted from a nearby church parking lot on Prince Street to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at about noon. Castleberry described her condition as "critical."

Although initial information indicated the woman's gown caught fire, Castleberry said that is not the case. According to preliminary information, the woman's adult-age great grandson was upstairs when he heard the smoke alarm. He went downstairs and discovered smoke and fire, Castleberry said. He looked for Thompson and found her already burned and in a bathtub.

"Her (great) grandson scooped her up and got her out," Castleberry said.

Firefighters contained the fire to two rooms, including a bedroom, Castleberry said.

An investigation into what caused the fire, where it started and exactly how the woman was burned is ongoing.

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(Posted around noon)

Conway firefighters respond to a call about a house fire on Center Street mid-morning Tuesday.

The fire appears to have been small, with little to no smoke visible, in the house, but according to scanner traffic, a woman's gown caught fire.

The elderly woman was conscious and said the fire was an accident, said La Tresha Woodruff, spokeswoman for the Conway Police Department. The woman is being air lifted out of the First United Methodist Church parking lot on Prince Street.

Check back for a full story.