Cats alert elderly woman of burning Washington Co. home; Officers help woman out

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — Two police officers are being credited with saving an elderly woman from her burning Washington County home Tuesday.

Channel 11’s Dave Bondy reported that the woman’s cats initially alerted her of the fire at her West Chestnut Street home.

“She said they started carrying on, and then she started smelling smoke. Then she was lucky she wasn’t overcome,” said Washington Fire Chief Linn Brookman.

Officials said the woman was able to get up and make it through one smoke-filled room using her walker, but was unable to get outside the house.

“When she got to the front door she had a lot of steps to get down. She said two men were walking down the street,” the victim’s sister Patty Roupe said.

Brookman said those men are two officers who ran inside and rescued the woman.

“I want to say thank you very much, and we appreciate it, and God bless you,” Roupe said.

Peggy Roupe suffered some smoke inhalation and is being checked out by a doctor. The cats were killed in the blaze.

Fire investigators said the flames began in the basement of the home, but so far a cause has not been determined.

WPXI