A fire in Charleroi sent a woman to hospital and displaced six people from two apartments

A Charleroi woman was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment Thursday evening after first responders rescued her from a fire in her apartment.

Five adults and one child were displaced from two apartments after a fire broke out in a 2.5-story building in the 900 block of Crest Avenue before 6:30 p.m., Charleroi Fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr. said.

Whiten said the fire marshal is investigating the cause, but initial indications are a fire starting in the back kitchen of the first-floor apartment. “It appears to have been a kitchen fire that got out of control,” he said.

Firefighters and police joined forces to rescue the woman from the living room of the first-floor apartment before she was airlifted by a medical helicopter, Whiten said. He was unable to provide details about the woman’s injuries.

The flames spread to kitchen cabinets and from a window to the exterior of the building, Whiten said.

The building suffered moderate to severe fire damage, heavy smoke damage and moderate water damage, he said.

The Salvation Army was ready to help the displaced people.

The woman was evacuated from a nearby home as a precaution but was able to return home, Whiten said.

Six local fire departments, including Collinsburg, responded to the fire. Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services assisted by ambulance.