3 women, child, dog safely escape Lawrence Co. blaze

ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. — Three women, a young child and a dog were able to safely escape a Lawrence County house fire Wednesday morning.

The flames broke out at a home on Church Street in Wayne Township around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Officials said three women and a 21-month-old safely escaped the home.

“I knew I had to get my grandma and daughter out as fast as possible. The smoke was choking,” Samantha Briner said.

Briner told Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz that four generations of her family live in the home. She said her grandmother, mother and daughter all escaped the blaze with her.

One of the women went back inside to get a dog and cat, but the cat was never found. That woman was checked out for smoke inhalation.

“We lost everything materialistic. Everything,” Tracey Briner, Samantha’s mother, said.

The Briners said they don’t have insurance, and friends are working on setting up a fund for them.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

WPXI