Pa. Woman Dies After Refusing Rescue From Building

A woman died in an apartment fire in Montgomery County on Saturday night after she refused to climb down a fire truck's ladder because she wanted to save her dog, neighbors said.

Authorities said the blaze at the Plymouth Rock Apartments, off Germantown Pike in Plymouth Township, displaced tenants in 18 apartments.

The victim was in her mid-40s, said township Police Chief Joseph Lawrence. Her name was not immediately made public.

The cause was under investigation by the township's police and fire marshal as well as county detectives. Nearly 30 fire companies from Montgomery and Chester Counties fought the blaze.

Eileen Farrell, who was burned out by the fire, stood dressed in pajamas, socks and a black coat outside the heavily damaged, two-story apartment building on Sunday morning. A chain-link fence blocked her from checking on her apartment.

"It's just really hitting me now, seeing it like this," said Farrell, 60. "I can't believe it."

The fire began at about 10:30 p.m. When someone knocked on her door Saturday night, Farrell thought the blaze was only a small kitchen fire. But she soon learned it was far more serious.

Residents had congregated near the complex's business office to make sure everyone was accounted for, Farrell said. When officials called out each apartment number for Building D, the woman who died was the only person missing.

"And we all kind of knew," Farrell said.

Farrell said she was friends with the woman, whom she declined to identify. She said the woman has a daughter in her 20s who did not live in the apartment.

Farrell said other residents had seen the woman come out on to her balcony, reject a plea for her to climb down the ladder, and then return into her home. She never came back out.

Several residents who lived on the second floor were rescued by the firefighters' ladders, including a girl to whom Farrell gave her shoes.

Farrell and other displaced residents slept at a DoubleTree Hotel Saturday night. She said she may stay with relatives Sunday night.

"We were told we can't go near the apartments," she said. "I still smell like smoke."

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