Springdale Township woman saves neighbors from burning home

A Springdale Township woman picking up her grandson after school saved a man and a woman from a fire that destroyed their home Monday afternoon.

The fire at 103 Carson St. was reported shortly after 3 p.m.

Barbara Arnold was at her grandson’s nearby bus stop when she said she saw smoke.

“I knew something was on fire, so I figured I’d better drive down because that’s unusual,” Arnold said. “As I was driving down the street, I saw the flames on the back of the house. I immediately called 911 and told them the address of the house and that it was on fire. I ran up to the steps to their front door and pushed their front door in and started to yell for them. I could hear voices, but I couldn’t see anyone.”

Arnold said as she moved inside she found a man on the ground, grabbed him and pulled him out of the house. She also helped a woman who was searching for their cats make it outside.

“I told them there was nothing we could do. You cannot go back in there,” Arnold said. “You could see the pets through the windows, frantic, but we couldn’t get them. I don’t know if they were able to make it out of the house.”

Allegheny Valley fire Lt. Levi Baer said two cats died in the fire.

The couple was taking shelter in a neighboring home as firefighters battled the blaze. They declined to talk. The American Red Cross was helping them.

Other neighbors also come out to help. Jackie Colwes lives across the street.

Colwes said she gave a blanket to the man and tried to get both to take deep breaths and calm down. Colwes commended the volunteer firefighters who responded in below-freezing temperatures.

“To come out on a day like this, you’ve got to give them all credit,” she said. “God bless them.”

Baer said the house was engulfed in flames when he arrived. He said the homeowner threw a towel that was on fire onto the back porch.

“The window was open. It was wind-driven and set the rest of the house on fire,” Baer said. “When the fire was first burning there was a lot of wind. It was pushing the fire through the house to the attic. It’s a total loss.”

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

Arnold said she does not know the couple, and was happy that no one was hurt. She does not have rescue training, and just reacted as adrenaline kicked in.

“I’m just a neighbor,” she said. “I’m just glad that they were able to make their way to the front room to me, because, if they hadn’t been able to do that, I would not have been able to get them the rest of the way to the front door.”