A grossly obese teenager died in a house fire because she was too heavy for firefighters to rescue.
Jamaya Herron, 18, who tipped the scales at more than 35 stone, collapsed after being overcome by smoke at her parents’ home in the Chicago suburb of Rockford.
Emergency workers rescued two other children from the house but they struggled to lift Jamaya on time.
By the time they got her out of the property, the teenager was pronounced dead.
A post mortem later showed she had suffocated.
Two firefighters were treated in hospital for back injuries sustained trying to save Jamaya, officials said.
‘They gave a 110 per cent, did their best and sometimes we’re not able to save everyone but we were able to get two individuals out of that structure alive,’ said Fire Chief Derek Bergsten.
Investigators believe a candle that had been knocked over started the fire.
Herron was living at the house, which had no running water or power, with her parents, Joseph and Delores Herron, as well as Joequavian Blankenship, 11, and Javarus Blankenship, 10.
