NEW ORLEANS — An elderly woman was found in a Holy Cross home by firefighters as they put out a house fire late Thursday night. Neighbors called the woman the 'neighborhood grandmother.'
The call came into dispatch at 11:49 p.m, reporting a fire in at 5446 Charters St.
At 11:55, only six minutes after the fire was reported, the first company of firefighters was at the scene, but someone else was already trying to break into the house to put out a fire — a neighbor was awoken by the blaze.
That neighbor was an off-duty member of the New Orleans Fire Department.
Firefighters crews couldn't get into the home at first, but as soon as they were able to open the door, the immediate rush of oxygen into the building and fed the flames.
"Intense fire at extremely high temperatures surged towards the firefighters entering the building," an NOFD release said. "Thankfully (no firefighters) were hurt when this occurred."
As NOFD crews began extinguishing the blaze, other firefighters began searching the home to see if anyone needed help.
Later, after the fire was under control, paramedics found an elderly woman under a big pile of debris.
"Unfortunately, the resident did not survive and was pronounced deceased on the scene by members of the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services," the release said.
The NOFD began an investigation into the cause of the fire and the woman's death.
Officers with the New Orleans Police Department and paramedics with New Orleans Emergency Services helped the 24 NOFD members who responded to the fire, the release said.
Thirty-two minutes after the fire was reported, it was under control.
This is a developing story, and it will be updated with the latest information available. Stick with WWLTV.com for the latest news.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
