Rosa Harrison lived in the 700 block of Hillmont Avenue near Decatur for more than 30 years. She took care of her husband for about 20 of those years before he died earlier this year, neighbor Joan Gage said.
About 3:30 a.m. Friday, Harrison’s home caught fire. Crews rescued her from the burning home, but Harrison died at a local hospital, DeKalb County fire Capt. Eric Jackson said.
She was 71.
“Mainly right now, I’m feeling for their family,” Gage said.
LIKELY AN ACCIDENT
A preliminary investigation indicates the fire likely started accidentally.
“There’s nothing that is indicated to us that it’s any means other than something accidental,” Jackson said.
He said firefighters arrived to find a single-story home with smoke coming out of the front. They entered the residence, and as they were clearing it to make sure no one was inside, they found Harrison in a front bedroom. No one else was inside the home.
Firefighters “very expeditiously brought her out through this front window,” Jackson said.
They treated her on the scene and took her to a local hospital not too far from her home.
“She … unfortunately has succumbed to her injuries,” Jackson said.
Firefighters are investigating the cause and origin of the deadly blaze and if there were working smoke detectors in the home.
They cut open the roof to allow smoke to escape and give crews a clearer view inside the home.
“We’re saddened by it,” Jackson said. “We hate to hear about these sorts of things.”
A BEAUTIFUL PERSON
Gage said she had known Harrison for about four years.
She described her neighbor as a beautiful person who was “everyone’s best fan.”
Harrison never wanted to see her husband in an assisted living facility, Gage said. That’s why Harrison took care of him herself.
“She’s going to be missed,” Gage said.
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