Elderly Woman Burned Trying to Save Dog
Firefighters found smoke and flames billowing from the front door.
An elderly woman who went back into her burning house to try to rescue her Rat Terrier called “Angel” is being treated for burns.
An EMT and two public works employees were driving by the house on Grossmont Ave. in El Cajon just before 12:15 p.m. Friday and saw flames and smoke billowing from the house.
Delores Armstrong and her 53-year-old daughter were able to escape the flames safely, but the older woman sustained burns when she re-entered the burning house to rescue her dog. She grabbed the animal and got outside again with help from a city public works employee, fire department spokeswoman Monica Zech said.
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to knock down the flames.
Armstrong was taken to Grossmont Hospital with burns to her arms and scalp.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. A preliminary damage estimate set the monetary losses at $250,000.
