A Syracuse woman died hours after firefighters carried her out of her burning North Side home this weekend, city fire Lt. Joe Galloway said.
Patricia Smith, 64, was in bed when she noticed smoke in her house at 1134 Wadsworth St.
But Smith had a back problem and couldn't get out of a back second-floor bedroom Saturday morning, firefighters said. A friend who had gone to check on the source of the smoke called 911 after he couldn't enter the house because there was too much smoke.
Firefighters spent about 15 minutes trying to get to Smith.
"No working smoke detectors and extensive clutter throughout the house hampered rescue and firefighting efforts," Galloway said.
AMR ambulance crews brought Smith to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, where she arrived in critical condition. She died later Saturday, Galloway said.