Shortly after going inside her east Allentown home on Tuesday afternoon, Sharon Ann Hohl put a pot of oil on the stove and went upstairs to ask her son if he wanted any of the chicken nuggets she was about to fry.
By the time Hohl got back downstairs, the kitchen was fully engulfed by fire and she was overcome by smoke and unable to make it out of the home alive, officials said Wednesday.
An Allentown fire marshal ruled Wednesday that careless cooking caused the fire at 101 S. Bradford Street that killed the 54-year-old woman known throughout her neighborhood as Pepper, fire Capt. John Christopher said. The fire, which the fire marshal ruled was accidental, was confined mostly to the kitchen at the rear of the home, Christopher said.
An autopsy completed Wednesday determined Hohl died from smoke inhalation and Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim ruled her manner of death an accident.
A man, believed by witnesses to be Hohl’s husband, was rescued from the home and immediately taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. Christopher said he’s doing better because he was interviewed by investigators.
A firefighter consoles a loved one of a woman who died in a fire Tuesday afternoon in east Allentown. (Manuel Gamiz Jr./The Morning Call)
A third person, believed to be Hohl’s son, was in the home when the fire erupted, but was able to make it out on his own, witnesses said.
Firefighters were dispatched around 1 p.m. on a report of a two-alarm fire with entrapment, finding flames and smoke billowing out the rear of Hohl’s home, where the kitchen is located. Before firefighters arrived, a group of neighbors had gone to the home, banging on doors and yelling for everyone to get out.
One neighbor said she saw Hohl come home 15 minutes before the fire started and the two women waved hello to each other.
Christopher said the investigation determined Hohl put a pot of oil on the stove and turned it on, shortly after getting home. She went upstairs and asked her son about the chicken nuggets. The conversation took longer than it should have, which is common with distracted cooking, Christopher said.
“We see that all the time," he said. “They get distracted or sidetracked and one minute turns into 10 minutes.”
Rescue efforts were delayed because the fire blocked access to the second floor. Hohl was found unresponsive on the second floor and was placed in a nearby ambulance, where paramedics tried to save her. She was pronounced dead on the scene at 2 p.m.
Several witnesses said they believe Hohl may have gone back into the home to rescue a cat.
Christopher said Hohl was looking for a cat when she was overcome by the smoke, but the investigation never concluded whether she escaped the fire and then returned for the cat.
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By Sarah Cassi
scassi@lehighvalleylive.com,
For lehighvalleylive.com
The Allentown woman who went back into a burning house to save a cat on Tuesday died from smoke inhalation, Lehigh County's coroner said.
Coroner Scott Grim on Wednesday released the cause of death for Sharon Ann Hohl, and ruled her death an accident.
Hohl, 54, was one of three people home when the fire broke out about 1 p.m. Tuesday in the kitchen toward the rear of 101 S. Bradford St.
Hohl made it outside of the burning building, but went back in to try to save a cat, fire officials said. Hohl's body was found on the second floor of the home.
Firefighters rescued a male resident, and the third resident -- also male -- escaped without assistance, authorities said.
The fire was caused by careless cooking and ruled accidental, fire Capt. John Christopher said Wednesday.
Hohl had put a pot of oil on the stove to heat up and went upstairs to ask her son if he wanted something to eat, Christopher said.
"By the time she came down the kitchen was already on fire," he said.
The home is uninhabitable until repairs can be made. An adjoining home was not affected by the fire, according to the fire department.
The coroner's office and city fire department are investigating the death.
Sharon Ann Hohl
Obituary
Sharon Ann "Pepper" Hohl, 54, of Allentown, passed away Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Born in Allentown, she was a daughter of the late Paul N. and Lois J. (Stephen) Hohl. Sharon is survived by her Significant Other: Richard G. Quier, Sr; Children: Jason P. Defiore, Nicholas S. Defiore, Jr., Jasmine J. Quier, Richard G. Quier, Jr., Shari J. Rodriguez, Cheyanne Quier, Nicole Quier; Grandchildren: Damian, Adalyn, Jeremiah; Sisters: Karen, Barbara, Lisa, Linda; Brothers: Robert, Barry. Sharon was predeceased by a son Kyler S. Quier.