Elderly woman killed in house fire near Lairdsville | News, sports, jobs

Two Lycoming County coroner’s officers arrive at the scene of Wednesday’s deadly house fire near Lairdsville. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. PHILIP HOLMES/Sun Gazette

LAIRDSVILLE – An elderly woman in a wheelchair died Wednesday afternoon in a fire that severely damaged her home on Salem Schoolhouse Road, just off Route 118, state police at the scene confirmed.

“Someone went into the house and took her out in a wheelchair. “We don’t know at this point if it was a family member, a passerby or a neighbor.” Cpl. Brandon Schrawder, a state police spokesman, told a reporter about the scene. “She had a cardiac arrest. They performed CPR on her but were unable to revive her.” he said.

Investigators said the victim, whose name was to be released Thursday, lived with her husband in the one-story home, but she was the only one home when the fire broke out around 3:10 p.m.

“As far as I know, one end of the house, a bedroom, was on fire when the firefighters got here.” said Schrawder. As he raced to the scene, about three miles east of here, a firefighter radioed a dispatcher that “strong black smoke” was visible from half a mile away.”

Firefighters from Columbia and Lycoming counties were dispatched to the fire, which took about an hour to get under control. Firefighters from Lairdsville, Unityville, Millville, Benton, Orangeville, Hughesville and Picture Rocks responded.

Volunteer firefighters return to their fire trucks late Wednesday afternoon after putting out a house fire that killed an elderly Unityville-area woman. PHILIP HOLMES/Sun-Gazette

Schrawder said a state trooper was on scene Wednesday evening trying to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The victim, a 70-year-old, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two deputy coroners transported her body to the UPMC Williamsport Forensic Center. More information about the cause of death was expected to be released Thursday.