Woman, 53, dies after setting herself on fire at Cosham petrol station

The 53-year-old suffered horrific injuries during the horrifying incident on Sunday morning at the BP filling station in Northern Road, Cosham.

Courageous passersby rushed to her aid within seconds and managed to extinguish the flames using a fire extinguisher.

A passing ambulance crew happened to be stuck in traffic by the garage and were also able to provide critical care moments later.

The woman, who has not been officially identified, was transported to nearby Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham.

However, Hampshire police have today confirmed the 53-year-old succumbed to her injuries and has tragically died.

A police spokeswoman said: ‘We were called at 10.35am on November 1 to a report of a concern for welfare for a woman at the Cosham filling station in Northern Road, Portsmouth.

‘The 53-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious burns. We can now confirm that she has sadly died in hospital.

‘Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported. The death is not being treated as suspicious.’

As previously reported, three Good Samaritans rushed to the woman’s aid after she got out of a taxi, doused herself in fuel and set fire to herself.

One man was seen ripping off his shirt and began using it in a desperate effort to put out the flames.

Two workers from the garage carrying fire extinguishers appeared seconds later to extinguish the woman and a small fire near the petrol pump.

A spokesman from South Central Ambulance Service praised the ‘swift actions’ of the heroic trio as ‘courageous’.

A video of the incident, seen by The News but not shared, has appeared online sparking outrage on social media, with calls for it to be removed from online networking sites.

SEE ALSO: Southsea bar fined £1,000 for allowing Halloween party

You can catch up with more of our stories about crime and incidents in Portsmouth by joining our Portsmouth Breaking News and Incidents Facebook group.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as our new Puzzles section.