Bitner woman dies in house fire
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Volunteer firefighters try to extinguish the blaze at a home in Bitner on Thursday. Sheila Porter, who lived in the home with three others, died in the fire, state police said.
Roberto M. Esquivel | Herald-Standard
A volunteer firefighter secures the fire scene where Sheila Porter died Thursday morning in her Bitner home. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state police fire marshal.
Roberto M. Esquivel|HeraldStandard
Brandon Richard, 22, looks at the remains of his Bitner home, which burned down Thursday morning. Sheila Porter, Richard’s mother, died in the fire.
Roberto M. Esquivel | Herald-Standard
Brandon Richard, 22, looks at the rubble of his burned home in Bitner on Thursday. Richard’s mother, Sheila Porter, died in the blaze. The state police fire marshal is investigating the cause.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
A firefighter works to contain a fire that destroyed a home in Bitner Thursday morning. Sheila Porter died in the blaze.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Volunteer firefighters from several area fire companies work to contain a fire that destroyed a home in Bitner Thursday morning. The home reportedly caught fire around 8 a.m.
FRANKLIN TWP. — Officials are investigating a house fire on Bitner Road that claimed the life of one of the occupants Thursday morning.
Looking over the charred remains of the two-story home, Brandon Richard, 22, said he lived at 633 Bitner Road with his mother, 46-year-old Sheila Porter, and two other people who were not identified.
Only he and Porter were home when the fire started around 8 a.m., Richard said.
“My dog woke me up, and I was just basically trying to find clothes,” said Richard, adding that by then it was already difficult to find the door.
He said he yelled to his mother to ask if the house was on fire, and she said “yes,” but he didn’t see her after that.
Richard said he was uninjured and did not require medical treatment.
Police said fire crews who responded to the scene first found a fully-involved fire and were not able to rescue Porter. Police said Porter was discovered in the fire debris after the residence partially collapsed.
Police are investigating the cause and origin of the fire, and forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht will perform an autopsy.
Asked if he had any idea how the fire may have started, Richard speculated that it may have been from a cigarette, but he wasn’t sure.
Smock Volunteer Fire Company was the primary responder to the scene. Fayette EMS and fire crews from Flatwoods, West Leisenring, North Union, Dunbar, Hopwood, Connellsville Township, Morrell, Dawson, Washington Township and Grindstone assisted in battling the blaze. According to Fayette County 911, West Penn Power was also called to the scene.