Authorities: Iowa woman killed by out-of-control grass fire

MARION, Iowa (AP) - A woman in eastern Iowa was killed by a grass fire she was attending that grew out of control, authorities there said.

The incident happened Sunday afternoon near a soccer complex north of Marion, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Investigators said Carol Woodson, 79, of Marion, had been trying to tend the fire. Emergency responders found Woodson on the ground, engulfed in smoke and flames. She died at the scene.

The Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office is helping with the investigation into her death.

While there were no fire bans in the state at the time of time of the blaze, the National Weather Service had advised against open burns because of elevated wind gusts, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported.