A house fire in Jeannette claimed the life of a woman on Wednesday evening. The fire broke out around 5 p.m. in the home situated on Scott Avenue, according to officials. Channel 11 reported that the fire's intensity posed significant challenges for Jeannette Police officers attempting entry into the blazing structure.
Firefighters were also faced with obstacles due to the excessive accumulation of items inside the home, a situation that neighbors described as a result of hoarding. Reporting from the scene, Pittsburgh's Action News 4 saw officials making entry through the second-story windows to reach the woman, identified as 67-year-old Elizabeth Liptak. Tim Carson, the Westmoreland County Coroner, confirmed Liptak's death resulting from the incident.
Descriptions of the event highlighted further complications for the firefighters who encountered a hoarding environment so severe that it impeded their rescue efforts. "We were walking through anywhere from three to five feet of material and debris in the house. We had material and debris up to our chest, we were wading through, trying to get to the last known location of the victim," Jeannette Fire Capt. Josh Rettger stated, as per WTAE. Rettger explained how, within two minutes of gaining entry, they located Liptak deceased underneath debris.
Larry Stauffer, a neighbor, described to WPXI the severity of the fire, mentioning, "It was nothing but smoke and flames, and like I said, there was so much garbage in there from hoarding it, that they couldn’t even get in the building. They’re still having a hard time getting in." The Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal later determined that the blaze, which spread rapidly due to the accumulated materials, started on the kitchen stove top and was ruled accidental.
