Woman Dies After Being Rescued From Fire: Report

DECATUR, GA -- A 71-year-old woman who was able to escape a fire in her Decatur home with the help of a neighbor has died at an area hospital after suffering injuries in the blaze, according to local reports.

The blaze began about 3:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Hillmont Avenue, according to WAGA-TV.

An alert neighbor rushed across the street to knock on the woman's door and called 911, the TV station reports.

That neighbor, Joan Gage, told WXIA that she was awakened by the smell of smoke and went into action.

"You couldn't breathe because the smoke was coming down the roof into the front of the house. It was pretty intense," Gage told the TV station.

She thought at one point that her neighbor had awakened, but it wasn't the case. "I saw an orange light inside the home and thought she was awake but realized it was a flame inside the home," Gage was quoted as saying.

DeKalb Fire & Rescue officials are reportedly investigating the cause of the fire.

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