House fire kills woman
LECKRONE – Firefighters said a smoke detector could have saved the life of a woman who died in an accidental electrical fire that started in the living room of a house at 1443 Leckrone-Masontown Road on Monday afternoon. Charlotte Martin, 54, of Jefferson St., Mount Braddock, died in the fire, state police said.
A spokesperson for Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly said Monday night the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
The fire, which investigators believe was an accident, started at a power strip in the first floor living room of the German Township home, state police Fire Marshal William Large said.
McClellandtown Fire Chief Jim Huhn said the victim was found on the floor along the side of a bed in a first-floor bedroom.
Stephen R. Martin, the victim’s son and the homeowner, was not home when the fire began and neither was his wife Jennifer Martin, firefighters said.
Five departments were dispatched at 2:28 p.m. and remained at the scene until just before 7 p.m. while police conducted their investigation.
Huhn said firefighters got the blaze under control in about 20 minutes and quickly found the victim.
The living room and two upstairs bedrooms were damaged by fire and there was heat and smoke damage throughout the frame structure, the fire chief said.
Police estimated damage to the home at $70,000.
Huhn said the house did not have smoke detectors and one could have prevented the tragedy.
“If they had a smoke detector, she’d still be alive,” Huhn said. “A $10 smoke detector would have saved her life.”
Large said it could not be determined if the power strip overheated or if it was faulty.
He said he didn’t know if the owner had insurance.
Fire Marshal Thomas Maher said evidence samples were collected and sent to the crime lab for analysis, which is routine when a fatality occurs during a fire.
Next door neighbor Paul Kaiser said he didn’t know the house was on fire until an unknown man came to his door and asked him to call 911.
He said the man pounded on the Martin’s door to see if anybody was inside as smoke was coming from the house.
“Smoke was just pouring out all over the place,” Kaiser said.
He said the Martin’s moved in about three years ago and are friendly neighbors, but he did not know the victim.
Firefighters from Masontown, Footedale, Adah and Carmichaels and Cumberland Township and Fayette EMS also responded to the scene.