Investigators with the Elyria Fire Department say that hoarding conditions contributed to a blaze Tuesday afternoon that killed one woman.
According to Fire Chief Joe Pronesti, Elyria Fire received a call around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday for a fire in the 400 block of Oxford Avenue. Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke and flames in the basement, where the female victim was later located.
The woman, later identified as Sarah Goulet, was immediately rushed to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center where she was soon after pronounced dead.
3News' Lydia Esparra spoke with Goulet's neighbor, David Thompson, who said that he did notice the woman accumulating items and that the tragedy is felt in the community.
"This is not a way for someone to go," Thompson said. No, it’s a horrible way, just awful.”