Woman dies in Greensburg apartment fire; 18 residents displaced

A woman died in an apartment fire early Friday in Greensburg, according to Fire Chief Tom Bell and Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson.

An automatic fire alarm went off around 1:30 a.m. at an apartment building on Dornin Street, not far from the intersection of Highland Avenue and Mt. Pleasant Road, sending firefighters to the scene. A tenant reported heavy black smoke in the basement, Bell said.

Firefighters were met with intense heat in a basement apartment and a fire inside was extinguished quickly.

“(The heat) actually melted the light and the detector in the hallway,” he said.

Patricia M. Baylett, 71, was found dead inside, Carson said. It appears the fire started on a chair, Bell said. The cause is under investigation, but it is believed to be accidental.

The apartment building is one of several in the Meadow View complex. A bouquet of flowers sat on the bushes in front of the building Friday morning as members of the restoration company went in and out. A card attached read “rest in peace night owl.”

Bell estimated that the building houses about 11 apartments. He said 18 people were displaced until the building can be cleaned. No other tenants were hurt.

The American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region’s Chestnut Ridge Chapter was assisting seven people. Disaster workers responded to the scene and provided those in need with food, a place to stay, emotional support and spiritual care.

A funeral home for Baylett had not been selected.