Daughter of woman killed in Heidelberg fire says her mom was physically unable to escape home

HEIDELBERG, Pa. — Officials believe a woman is dead after a fire at a Heidelberg home Thursday.  On Thursday night, crews said she was unaccounted for.

The woman's son, Darren Walls, is recovering from injuries at Mercy Hospital after the blaze.

"I tried to pull the door.  I couldn't get into the house," said neighbor Ron Mixter.

When Mixter saw the smoke, he grabbed his 24-foot ladder and ran over to help.

Mixter pulled Walls off the roof and kept asking, "Where is your mom?"

Walls never answered, Mixter said, and he was whisked away in an ambulance.

Firefighters tried to look for Walls' mom but were forced back when the front porch and the back of the home collapsed.

Neighbors watched in horror as the fire raged, and there was nothing they could do to help.

The woman's daughter told reporter Courtney Brennan Friday that her mom was in a car accident a few days before the fire.   The daughter believes her mom could not physically get herself out of the house.

Demolition crews assessed the scene Friday.  They said it's dangerous and the home could collapse at any moment.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

WPXI