Pittsburgh Firefighters Rescue Woman from House Fire

RICK WILLS
Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Danielle McAfee believed everyone had escaped a Tuesday morning house fire in Elliott before realizing her mother was still upstairs.

"I thought she was behind me, but she wasn't," McAfee said.

Pittsburgh firefighters rescued her mother from a second-story window of the home in the 1100 block of Crucible Street.

"Another minute or two, it could have been a different story," said First Battalion Chief Doug Praskovich. "There was that thick, heavy smoke in the house. We got a ladder to her quick."

The woman, whose identity could not be confirmed, was taken to UPMC Mercy, Uptown, for treatment of smoke inhalation, Praskovich said.

The fire was reported at 4:55 a.m. and started on the first floor of the duplex, he said. The cause is under investigation.

McAfee said she was sleeping on the couch when the fire woke her. She said she was in the house with her parents and son.

William and Alyce McAfee own the house, according to Allegheny County real estate records.

Copyright 2011 Tribune Review Publishing Company
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April 20, 2011

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