Raymond Gross tried to warn his neighbor about the dangers she faced by hoarding in her Jeannette home.
“I told her about it several times,” he said.
His neighbor, Elizabeth A. Liptak, died Wednesday afternoon when a fire that sparked on the kitchen stove quickly spread to the piles of debris and belongings stacked throughout her Jeannette home, according to Jeannette fire Capt. Josh Rettger. She turned 67 years old earlier this month, according to a release from Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said.
Gross said he knew her as “Beth.”
Rettger said the fire victim lived alone in the two-story house at 812 Scott Ave.
“She kept to herself,” Gross said of his Scott Avenue neighbor, who worked at the Giant Eagle grocery store in North Huntingdon. “She was very quiet. Never caused any problems.”
The fire was reported about 5 p.m. Fire crews were only able to access the home through the windows because of the hoarding conditions, Rettger said.
Crews used chainsaws to create entrances into the home, where they were met with extreme smoke, heat and low visibility, he said.
“We already have that going against us,” he said. “Adding hoarding conditions on top of that, we were walking through anywhere from 3 to 5 feet of material.”
Firefighters were having a tough time getting inside the house, said Larry Stauffer, who lives in the neighborhood.
He said they tried to bust down the front door and then a large glass window.
“They still couldn’t get in because of all the garbage,” he said.
Firefighters moved to the second floor and broke a window to get inside, he said.
“It was just packed and filled with garbage,” he said.
Jeannette firefighters were assisted by multiple units, among them Hempfield, Greensburg, Penn Borough and Westmoreland City.
A state police fire marshal was at the scene shortly after 6 p.m. taking photos of the house.
The death was ruled accidental, Rettger said.
“Check on your loved ones,” he said. “Obviously, if you’re into a situation like this, there is help out there for you.”
A support group for those dealing with hoarding is held by the Hoarding Alliance of Westmoreland County. The group meets at the Norwin Chamber of Commerce. To contact the support group, call 724-739-3785.
