Woman, 65, killed in Chester County house fire

BIRMINGHAM TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- It's a grim, gut-wrenching scene in Chester County Wednesday afternoon after a tragic overnight fire.

Police say a shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday along the 1300 block of Birmingham Road in Birmingham Township, the house went up in flames.

The homeowner never made it out alive.

"When the fire companies arrived, it was a fire in the rear portion of the house. The first firefighters inside did a search of the residence and they found a victim on the first floor in the bedroom," Birmingham Township Police Chief Thomas Nelling said.

The victim has been identified as 65-year-old Bonnie Lynn Hall.

"The victim did live alone and there were working smoke detectors inside the residence," Nelling said.

Police say someone passing by noticed the fire and called for help.

It's the early stages of the investigation and firefighters are still now sure what caused the fire, but say it appears to have started in back of the home.

"It was about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire and probably within about 10 minutes of the first or second truck being there, crews found the victim," Nelling said.

Investigators say the fire does not appear to be suspicious.

A dog and a cat also perished in the fire.