A 71-year-old woman died over the weekend after falling into a fire pit outside her Worcester, Massachusetts, home. 
 
 Jacqueline Cardinal was home alone when she fell into the pit around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, her daughter, Michelle Gay, told MassLive. Gay said her husband arrived at the house and found Cardinal injured. 
 
 “She is the most wonderful woman there is,” Gay told the site through tears. “There isn’t anybody who would say anything different.” 
 
 Worcester fire officials pronounced Cardinal dead at the scene from severe burns, according to CBS Boston. Investigators said she was unable to climb out of the pit. 
 
 The fire was out when fire officials arrived at the scene, according to MassLive. Officials said the medical examiner will determine Cardinal’s cause of death. 
 
 Cardinal leaves behind two daughters, MassLive reports. She also raised four foster children with her late husband. 
 
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 Worcester Fire Department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE. 
 
 The size of Cardinal’s fire pit is unclear. Although the ideal fire pit is up to 4 feet wide and 18 inches tall, the Erie Times-News reports, in-ground fire pits can be several feet wider to accommodate more guests, according to HGTV. 
 
 Underground fire pits make it easier to contain the flames, as aboveground come with greater risk of leaping flames and flying embers, according to the site. 
 
 “On the other hand, in ground fire pits do present some unique risks,” the site continues. “It’s easier for children or pets to stumble into the fire, so stringent adult supervision is required anytime you’re burning. If the fire pit area isn’t well-lit, anyone is at risk of falling into it.” 

 The 71-year-old woman who died after falling into a fire pit Saturday night in Worcester had been identified by her family as Jacqueline Cardinal. 
 
 Cardinal's daughter, Michelle Gay, told MassLive her mother was outside near the fire pit at the family's 184 Heard St. home Saturday night when she fell in around 8:40 p.m. 
 
 Gay said her husband arrived home and found Cardinal outside and injured. Cardinal was fine just 10 minutes earlier, the daughter said. 
 
 Gay said her mother would go outside the family's house and be near the fire pit. 
 
 "She is the most wonderful woman there is," Gay said, fighting back tears. "There isn't anybody who would say anything different." 
 
 Cardinal was the mother of Gay and her sister, Charlene Clark. A lifelong Worcester resident, Cardinal also raised four foster children, three boys, and a girl, with her late husband, Gay told MassLive. 
 
 Cardinal taught CCD at Our Lady of the Angels. 
 
 Worcester Deputy Fire Chief Martin Dyer said police and firefighters were called Heard St. after a person called 911 and said a woman fell into a fire pit in the yard. 
 
 Cardinal was badly burned and was pronounced dead at the scene, Dyer said. The fire was out when firefighters arrived at the home. 
 
 The incident is being treated as a fire-related death, but Dyer said the state's medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death.
– A Massachusetts woman died from severe burns after falling into a fire pit outside her home, authorities say. Jacqueline Cardinal, 71, was pronounced dead at the scene of the Saturday night accident in Worcester, MassLive.com reports. Michelle Gay, one of her two daughters, says her mother was outside the family home alone when she fell into the fire pit at around 8:40pm. Gay says her husband arrived and found Cardinal, who had been fine just 10 minutes earlier, badly injured. "She is the most wonderful woman there is," Gay says. "There isn't anybody who would say anything different." Investigators say Cardinal was unable to climb out of the pit after falling in, People reports. The fire was already out when firefighters arrived, authorities say.