The death of a Bookline woman found dead inside a home last Feburary has been ruled an accident, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report released Thursday.
Officials said Melanie Hesser, 57, died of thermal and inhalation injuries sustained as a result of a fire along the 200 block of Pioneer Avenue Feb. 11, 2020.
First responders encountered heavy smoke and flames at the back of the two-story house when they arrived around 10:30 p.m. that night, according to the city’s Public Safety Department.
Investigators from the fire bureau and the city’s homicide unit reported the fire appears to have started in the home’s kitchen
Two pets, a dog and a cat, also died.
