Woman Killed In Washington County House Fire

EAST BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A woman was killed in a house fire in Washington County early Saturday morning.

It happened just before 1 a.m. at a home on Step Street in East Bethlehem Township.

"It was a fully involved structure fire when we got there, there was no interior attack from the beginning it was all defense outside," said East Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Giovanelli.

40-year-old Chanel Bikowicz, of Clarksville, Pa., and her husband Timothy were trapped inside the burning home.

"I believe there were smoke detectors in the house that awakened the people inside, one person was able to get out of the house, one person wasn't," Chief Giovanelli said.

Chanel Bikowicz was found deceased in a back bedroom.

Her husband jumped from a second-story window and was flown to UPMC Mercy in critical condition.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Chief Giovanelli wanted to thank neighboring fire departments that helped battling the fire.

"We haven't had a fatal fire in East Bethlehem Township for quite a long time, it's our first in a while and lot of hands went into working through this."

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