A Charleroi woman was flown to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh for medical treatment Thursday evening after first responders rescued her from a fire in her apartment.
Five adults and one child were displaced from two apartments after fire broke out before 6:30 p.m. in a 2 1/2-story building in the 900 block of Crest Avenue, according to Charleroi fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr.
Whiten said a fire marshal will investigate the cause, but initial indications are the blaze started in the rear kitchen of the first-floor apartment. “It appears it was a cooking fire that got out of hand,” he said.
Firefighters and police combined efforts to rescue a woman from a front room of the first-floor apartment before she was flown by medical helicopter, Whiten said. He was unable to provide details about the woman’s injuries.
Flames spread into the kitchen cabinets and out a window, to the exterior of the building, Whiten said.
The building sustained moderate to heavy fire damage, heavy smoke damage and moderate water damage, he said.
The Salvation Army was on hand to help the displaced residents.
A woman was evacuated from a neighboring house as a precaution but was able to return home, Whiten said.
Six area fire departments responded to the blaze, including Collinsburg. Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services provided ambulance assistance.