Fire at St. Paul home 'full of contents' claims life of woman inside
A woman living in a home that was filled with papers, clothing and books died after being pulled from a fire in St. Paul early Sunday, fire officials say.
The fire started at 72 East Rose Avenue before 7 a.m. Sunday, reports note. A dog is being credited with alerting neighbors that the home was on fire, the Pioneer Press reports.
But despite the warning, firefighters had trouble rescuing the victim because her home was "full of contents," the fire department tweeted. Rescuers pulled her from the fire, but she later died.
St. Paul Fire Marshal Steven Zaccard told FOX 9 personal belongings, like clothing, mail and books, covered the floor, about four feet deep throughout the home.
"Collecting all this stuff – some call it hoarding – makes it a real fire hazard," Zaccard told the Pioneer Press. "You're more likely to have a fire with all these combustibles, all these ignition sources around the home. Plus, when you do have a fire, it makes it much more difficult for you to get out. That may have been the case here."
He told FOX 9 the home is uninhabitable.
This was the second fire fatality in St. Paul this year, the St. Paul Fire Department tweeted.
In 2013, the latest year of available data, there were five civilian deaths and 31 civilian injuries related to fires in St. Paul, the city's website shows.
