COWANSHANNOCK TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A woman, 46, was killed in an Armstrong County house fire Friday.
The fire in Cowanshannock Township on Route 1042 started around 5 a.m.
Officials said several people were in the house when the blaze started.
Three people escaped by jumping out of a second-floor window. Regina Pearce couldn't make it out.
"It's kind of a helpless feeling when you know they are trapped in there, and it is such an intense fire that you can't get into right off the bat," said assistant fire chief Bill Rupert.
Neighbor Tiffany Heffelfinger wanted to help but realized she couldn't.
"It was very scary, for sure. You don't know what to do. You feel helpless and you want to help, but you don't know what to do when it's that bad," she said.
Family members gathered to console Pearce's husband. He was at work when he got the call that the house was on fire.
Hours after the fire started, the house collapsed.
Rupert said the fire was fueled because all of the windows in the house were open.
Officials said the fire doesn't appear suspicious. The cause is under investigation.
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