April 16--A woman died in a house fire in Swissvale on Tuesday morning, her son said.
Dan Lane, 45, said he heard a loud bang coming from his mother's room on the second floor of the home they share in the 7500 block of Ardmore Street.
"I heard her in there screaming," Lane said. "I broke down the door and the smoke and fire overtook me and I couldn't get in there."
Shirley Lane, 75, died in the fire, he said. Dan Lane said his mother used an oxygen tank.
"I was lucky to make it out," Dan Lane said, covered in soot as he cradled his mother's Maltese dog, Lily. Firefighters rescued the dog.
"She wouldn't leave my mom's side," he said.
Swissvale fire Chief Clyde Wilhelm said there was heavy fire on the second floor of the home when firefighters arrived just after 5:30 a.m.
He said one resident was treated for smoke inhalation on the scene.
"Firefighters weren't able to get to the second floor because of the heavy fire," Wilhelm said. "By the time they did, they found the occupant deceased."
No firefighters were hurt in the two-alarm fire, he said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is investigating.
Margaret Harding is a staff writer with Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-8519 or [email protected].
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