Working smoke detector saves woman’s life in Butler apartment fire

BUTLER, Pa. — A working smoke detector likely saved the life of a woman who’s apartment caught fire in Butler Friday morning, fire officials said. Emergency crews received several 911 calls around 7 a.m. for flames shooting from the upstairs windows from the apartment building on West Cunningham Street.

There were also reports of a woman trapped inside one of the second floor apartments.

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The smoke detector woke the woman from a deep sleep, the Butler fire chief said. She managed to climb out of the window and get safely to the fire escape.

Crews were able to extinguish the flames in a matter of minutes.

Neighbors said it’s a miracle no one was hurt or killed.

“It was very scary when I woke up because, as you can see, these buildings are very close. And there’s an elderly gentleman that lives next door.

So when I woke up I just focused on making sure that place was not,” said neighbor Traci Gaiser.

Fire officials say both upstairs apartments are destroyed, and the woman can no longer live there.

The bottom floor is a vacant business.

No one was hurt. The fire marshal is working to determine what caused the fire.

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Cox Media Group