Engaged Couple Killed In Raccoon Twp. House Fire
RACCOON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – An engaged couple was killed in a Beaver County house fire Monday night.
According to officials at the scene, the fire started around 11 p.m. Monday at a home on State Route 18 in Raccoon Township.
The fire chief says the woman called 911 saying the house was on fire and that she was trying to get out. She told dispatchers that she was on an enclosed porch in the back of the house on the second floor, but the phone quickly cut out.
KDKA's Bob Allen Reports:
Both the woman and her fiancée were found dead on the porch after the fire was brought under control. The Beaver County Coroner's Office is identifying the couple as 69-year-old Dr. Gary Hanson and 62-year-old Mary Gonzales Hill.
Coroner David Gabauer told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti that the pair was identified through dental records.
Gabauer said Dr. Hanson owned the house. Friends said the doctor had a practice in Weirton, West Virginia, and Gonzales Hill was a nurse who was employed at the Weirton Medical Center.
Over the police scanner, a 911 dispatcher is overheard telling emergency crews headed to the scene, "There's a female that's trying to crawl out towards the door. I believe someone else is still entrapped."
The dispatcher is also heard saying moments later, "They think her fiancée may still be inside, just so you know."
The badly-damaged structure was located on a hillside in a remote location.
KDKA's Christine D'Antonio Reports:
Water was brought in on tanker trucks, which had to travel up a steep, narrow road to reach the structure.
Fire crews were only able to get two trucks up the hill to the secluded house. They also had issues hooking up to a hydrant.
View from the back. pic.twitter.com/zVRB55nS3Y
— Christine D'Antonio (@Cdantoniopgh) April 5, 2016
In all, it took about three hours to extinguish the flames.
One firefighter was injured while battling the blaze. The extent of their injuries is unknown.
The State Police Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
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