The woman, a senior citizen who police officers were told has the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease, was sitting in a chair in her Moncton apartment when her husband stepped outside the ground-floor apartment.
``She was trying to sneak a smoke when the fire started,'' said RCMP Cpl. Jim MacPherson.
``He was outside around their van when he heard her yelling there was a fire.''
The man rushed back in and saw the woman's chair and housecoat were on fire.
The man was able to douse the fire in the apartment with some water.
Police, fire and ambulance crews all responded to the scene.
MacPherson said the woman's hair was burned in the fire and there was a lot of soot on her face from the smoke.
The ambulance took her to hospital in Halifax.
