Wis. Bystanders Pull Elderly Woman From House Fire

An elderly woman was hospitalized with unspecified injuries after she was pulled from a burning home in Altoona by a pair of good Samaritans.

Source The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.

March 8, 2013

March 08--ALTOONA -- A pair of good Samaritans walking by a house engulfed in flames Thursday afternoon pulled an elderly woman from the building, said Altoona fire Chief James Small.

The woman was taken by ambulance to a local hospital with unspecified injuries. No one else was in the home, he said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at about 2:50 p.m. The fire engulfed most of the house at 3204 Hamilton Ave., six blocks east of Fairfax Street in the Altoona addition. The home appears to be a total loss, Small said.

Altoona police blocked off several residential streets near the scene. Several neighbors gathered nearby to watch the fire from a short distance.

A portion of the house collapsed, and other parts suffered heavy smoke, heat and water damage, according to an Altoona Fire Department news release, which said the home's value was $80,700.

Altoona firefighters were assisted by the Eau Claire and Township fire departments.

Altoona authorities Thursday did not release the name of the woman or of the bystanders who rescued her; county records indicate the home is owned by Shirley M. Zettler.

The cause remains under investigation.