‘A hero.’ 66 year-old dies after saving relatives, trying to save pets from VA fire
A Virginia woman helped her relatives escape from a house fire before going back in to try to save her pets.
She never made it back out, authorities said.
On Sunday, April 10, just before 8 a.m., firefighters responded to a house fire in Fredericksburg, a city about 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., according to a news release from the Spotsylvania County Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management.
When firefighters arrived, they said they found “flames venting from the front” and smoke and fire blazing through the home.
Three older adults were inside the home when the fire started, authorities said. The 66-year-old woman helped her sister and husband out of the house before rushing back inside to try to save several pets, according to the fire department.
“She was apparently overcome by the smoke and was not able to make it back out to safety,” firefighters said in the release.
The two family members were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, and authorities said they were expected to recover.
“We mourn with the family at the loss of their loved one who died after heroically saving other family members,” firefighters said.
In the event of a house fire, authorities urge residents to “get out and stay out” and “never re-enter a building on fire to save pets or belongings.”
“My heart breaks for you. She was a hero and thinking of someone else to the very end,” one commented under the fire department’s Facebook post.
As of April 10, investigators had not determined the cause of the fire.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 10:42 AM with the headline "‘A hero.’ 66 year-old dies after saving relatives, trying to save pets from VA fire."
