84-year-old woman killed, husband injured in Bolivar house fire
An 84-year-old woman died and her husband was injured in a house fire in Bolivar early Tuesday.
Bolivar Fire Chief John Speidel said firefighters extinguished a porch fire and found the two victims inside after a report of possible entrapment. The fire in the 800 block of McKinley Street was reported around 1:30 a.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said.
The Westmoreland County Coroner identified the woman as Joanna Policichio. Her husband, who was not identified, was in serious condition when he was flown to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.
A neighbor saw the fire and reported it to 911, the coroner’s office said in a statement. Firefighters removed Policichio from the house, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by a state police fire marshal. Speidel said no firefighters were hurt.
Policichio’s cause and manner of death were pending an autopsy and toxicology results, the coroner said. Stuart Funeral Home of New Florence is handling arrangements.
We’re on the scene of a deadly fire in Bolivar, Westmoreland County. Dispatchers confirm one person died and another was taken to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/RFHsQsTZwk
— Ava Rash WTAE (@AvaRashWTAE) May 21, 2024
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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