An 89-year-old Commack woman burned to death Wednesday after her clothes caught fire while she was at home cooking, Suffolk police said.

Police were called to 29 Sparton Lane at about 1:55 p.m. after Cheri Iovino discovered her husband?s ex-mother-in-law, Grace Spadaro, engulfed in flames in the family?s kitchen. Spadaro lived on the upstairs level of Iovino?s home.

Iovino was alerted to the scene when her dog started barking, police said. Spadaro was transported to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, where she later died. Iovino suffered minor burns on her hands while trying to save Spadaro.

?It sounds like some kind of paper towels or something caught on fire,? Commack Fire Department Chief Sal Formica says. ?She must have tried to put them out and then, subsequently, her clothing caught fire.?

Spadoro?s Sparton Lane neighbors describe her as a very kind and sweet woman who loved to cook for others.

For more stories about Town of Huntington communities, go to News 12 MyTown