Pa. Woman Killed Trying to Rescue Cat in Fire

Feb. 15--When a fire broke out early Tuesday in the rear of their Whitehall home, Tina and Richard Groller made it out of the house with their dog.

A neighbor who was getting ready for work saw Richard Groller in front of his home with his American bulldog, then turned back to see flames shooting from a second-floor window at 3308 N. Ruch St.

Sandra Delucia ran to Richard Groller, her neighbor of five years, and asked what happened.

"Tina's in the house," he answered. "She ran in for the cat."

The next time they saw see 56-year-old Tina Groller, she was being pulled out of her home by firefighters and being placed in the back an ambulance. She died about nine hours later, authorities said.

The Lehigh County coroner's office late Tuesday identified Tina Groller as the victim in the fire. First Deputy Coroner Paul F. Hoffman said the coroner's office, state police and Whitehall police were investigating.

Whitehall Fire Chief Robert Benner said the fire broke out after 4 a.m. in a rear bedroom of the brick twin home in the Stiles section of the township, which borders Coplay.

A couple and their adult son escaped the fire, but the wife re-entered the building to search for the family's pet cat, Benner said without identifying any of the residents.

The fire is still under investigation, but it is considered strictly accidental, Benner said.

Three stations from Whitehall Fire Department responded to the call, removed the woman from the home and began administering CPR before she was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.

"They came upon her almost at the same time they were starting to try to fight the fire," Benner said.

The woman, whom Benner said likely was overcome by smoke, was found lying in the second-floor hallway. He said the fire was under control in about 20 minutes.

Benner said firefighters never found a cat in the house, and says it may have escaped and run away. He said firefighters did see a cat while they were fighting the fire, but he's not sure if it was the Grollers' cat.

Some relatives returned to the home late Tuesday afternoon, including Joe and Diane Groller, Richard Groller's son and daughter-in-law. Most of the windows at the home were boarded up, caution tape was still up and piles of burnt books, clothing and chairs remained in front of the home.

Diane Groller said she and her family had just returned from the hospital where they were told Tina Groller succumbed to her injuries from the fire.

Some family members continued looking for the cat. Delucia said the aging cat hardly ever came out of the home and mostly stayed in the upper floors, while the dog stayed on the first floor or outside.

"We're not even sure if the cat was inside the home at the time," she said.

Copyright 2012 - The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.