Woman Killed In Harmar Township Fire
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A fire in Harmar Township late Sunday morning has left one woman dead.
Carol Alese, 52, died Sunday when fire broke out in her second floor apartment, on Wilson Avenue in Harmar Township. Alese lived alone. 911 got a call about the fire just before noon.
Fire Chief Kevin Funkhouser of the Allegheny Township Fire Department told KDKA-TV News, "Where the victim was found, she was found at the window of her bedroom. I would assume that she would be trying to get out. But also, the initial thoughts were that she was trying to get her pets out of the building first."
A neighbor said he saw the woman hanging out of the 2nd story window, and he kept telling her to stay there, firefighters were on the way.
Kenneth Wenzel, a neighbor who lived across a small parking lot from Alese, told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti, "She was hanging out of the bedroom window, trying to stay out of the smoke. I couldn't do anything, but, try to talk to her. She was yelling for help, and I was screaming at her to keep your head out of the window."
Wenzel said several other guys broke the woman's door down, but they were driven back by the intense flames and heavy smoke. Wenzel said in a matter of seconds, Alese was no longer visible at her window as she went back inside.
"[She] grabbed one of her cats, and tossed him out. That was the last time I saw her," Wenzel said.
It's believed her other four cats perished.
"Carol was a beautiful lady, with a heart of gold. She was an animal lover," Debbi Wenzel said.
Besides owning several cats, neighbors would see Alese feeding birds, rabbits, and even a raccoon.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.
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