A house fire in New Kensington, Westmoreland County, resulted in a woman being taken to the hospital yesterday. As reported by WPXI, emergency responders were called to the scene on Richdale Drive at around 5:33 p.m. The woman, who lived in the home, had made a call after noticing smoke emanating from her garage, but suffered an injury after slipping in her attempts to escape.
Details provided by CBS News reveal that firefighters faced extremely difficult conditions upon arrival, particularly due to a hoarding situation that prevented easy access to the home. Fire Chief Ed Saliba shared, "We could not open the front door more than 6 inches," explaining the challenges his team faced. They were forced to make a strategic entry point by removing the upper part of the door to tackle the flames head-on.
The fire was substantial enough that the fire marshal was called in to conduct an investigation, with the origin of the blaze suspected to be in the basement. Neighbors watched as firefighters struggled with the engulfed home and shared their sympathies. "It's a terrible time. It's unfortunate for that lady. I hope she's OK," expressed Jackson Guerrini, a neighbor, in an interview obtained by CBS News. The condition of the woman taken to the hospital has not been disclosed, nor has the status of the dog reported to be inside the residence at the time of the fire.
