UK woman lights candles for imaginary boyfriend, sets house on fire; dies

London: A UK woman, who was in a relationship with an imaginary man, died after she lit 17 candles for a romantic date with him, accidentally setting her house on fire.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the woman identified as Jane Ellis, was in a relationship with an imaginary man named 'Ian' and would often light candles to summon him.

One particular day, she lit 17 candles for a romantic date with Ian, which led to a fire in her house.

Soon after, her neighbours rushed to her apartment to tell her that the building had caught fire. However, she slammed the door on their face and ignored their warning, a neighbour recalled.

When the fire was doused and firefighters broke into her apartment to check if she was alive, they found her lying in the bathroom with her face down. She was then airlifted to the hospital in an induced coma state. She succumbed to her injuries later.

Medics said that she died of injuries to the brain caused by smoke inhalation and burns.

During investigation, her friend told police that she knew the victim for the past 20 years and that she had a history of mental illness.

Police are carrying out further investigations and are trying to reach a possible conclusion.