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On Jan. 31, the Graham County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in Fort Thomas, a small community about 20 miles northwest of Safford, and found 49-year-old Diane Briscoe at home suffering from severe burns.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Briscoe and her boyfriend found an unknown object in the desert north of the victim’s home.

Briscoe apparently touched the item with a knife and it detonated, severely burning the entire front of her body. After treatment by first responders, she was flown to a hospital burn unit in Phoenix. 

As of Tuesday, she was in critical condition at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Burn Center at Maricopa Integrated Health System.

The Sheriff’s Office notified the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, but no other hazardous devices were found in the area. A team from the base visited the site Feb. 1 to gather information for an investigation, a D-M spokeswoman said.

“The item that was found by the Graham County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 31 was confirmed to be a U.S. Air Force flare that is used on many types of military aircraft,� said 2nd Lt. Sydney Smith, adding that the specific type of flare has yet to be determined.

“The source of the flare, how it came into the individual’s possession, and how it was activated remains under investigation,� Smith said.

Some hot-burning flares are dropped by military aircraft to lure away heat-seeking missiles, while others are used to mark or illuminate areas on the ground.

Fort Thomas is southwest of a military operating area, or MOU, used for pilot training by units including the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Air National Guard 162nd Wing at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ International Airport.