Nov 9, 2024 By Mike Jones 2 min read

Two volunteer firefighters and a police officer are being hailed as heroes for their quick action Thursday night to rescue an elderly woman from a house fire in Charleroi.

Charleroi fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr. said his department received the call for a kitchen fire inside the main floor duplex at 911 Crest Ave. in the borough shortly after 6 p.m., with reports that someone was trapped inside.

Volunteer firefighters Robert Baciak and John Stimak, both of whom live nearby, immediately went to the scene and were greeted on the front porch by Charleroi Regional police Officer Marcus Richardson as flames began shooting from a kitchen window in the rear, Whiten said.

The three men ran inside without protective gear and located a 93-year-old woman in the middle of the house, and they were able to pull her outside and bring her to an ambulance that arrived moments later, Whiten said. Other firefighters, who went to the department first to retrieve their gear and trucks, arrived a few minutes later.

“They saved her life because they went in – we weren’t even there yet – and they had her out already and getting care for her,” Whiten said. “I give them credit for going in. You go in and you don’t know what you’re getting into. … I give them a lot of credit for going in with no protection or water line.”

The woman, who Whiten declined to identify, was later flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh, where her condition and the extent of her injuries were not known.

The majority of damage to the house was confined to the kitchen in the rear of the residence, Whiten said. He added that four people living in an upstairs apartment in the house were able to get out uninjured and are currently being assisted by the Salvation Army.

Firefighters from Lock 4, Fallowfield Township, Stockdale, Monessen and Bentleyville assisted Charleroi at the scene. Charleroi Regional police and medics with Rostraver EMS also responded to the fire.