Salem woman accused of starting fire by smoking cigarette to go on trial

SALEM – A Salem house guest accused of smoking a cigarette near her oxygen tank before a fire broke out in 2004, fatally killing the disabled homeowner is expected to go on trial this summer.Deborah Borella, 53, of 179 Boston St., stands charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of 39-year-old Theresa Reynolds in 2004.In Salem Superior Court Wednesday, Judge David A. Lowy set a trial date of Aug. 5 at the joint request of Assistant District Attorney Jessica P. Connors and defense lawyer Mark Schmidt.The trial is expected to last four or five days with expert witnesses testifying about the oxygen tank.It was shortly before 6 a.m. on March 27, 2004 when Salem firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire at 122-R Boston St., also known as 33-Rear Beaver St.The flames were already high at the renovated garage building when the fire department arrived at the scene.The blaze took the life of Reynolds, who was asleep in her bedroom at the time the fire erupted.Reynolds, who was disabled and unable to escape her home, was taken to Salem Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.An autopsy report indicated Reynolds died from smoke inhalation and thermal injury, according to Assistant District Attorney Jessica P. Connors.The other five occupants in the home, including a 9-year-old boy, suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to Beverly Hospital for treatment.The building was completely destroyed by the fire.Authorities believe Borella, who apparently was a houseguest of Reynolds, was using an oxygen tank at the time and was also smoking a cigarette, sparking the deadly fire.Although smoking in the vicinity of oxygen was the suspected cause of the fire from the beginning, Borella denied she had anything to do with it and she was never charged until March of 2007.The state fire marshal’s office determined that the ignition was a lit cigarette and the oxygen caused the fatal fire and Reynolds’ death.Borella, who suffers from emphysema, has been free on $400 cash bail since being arraigned in April of 2007.A conviction on the crime of manslaughter carries a potential 20-year state prison sentence.Reynolds sister, Billie Sprague of Lynn, is fighting to create a new smoking law that holds oxygen tank users responsible for their actions in the event serious injury or death occurs.