'She was amazing': 78-year-old woman dies in South Philadelphia house fire

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A South Philadelphia neighborhood is mourning the loss of a woman who tragically passed away in a fire on Wednesday.

The fire broke out on the first floor of a home in the 2700 block of South Darien Street around 10:45 a.m.

Neighbors say 78-year-old Carolyn Wile may have been tiny in stature, but she was a giant in the community.

They describe her as very independent, intelligent woman who had physical limitations but that didn't stop her from her everyday routine, such as going to church.

Sadly, Philadelphia firefighters found her dead in her childhood home.

"Her faithfulness and her determination -- and her independence. No matter what her limitations were, it did not stop her," said John Diorio, pastor at Stella Maris Parish.

"She was a nice neighbor. Very independent. Everyone liked her," said neighbor Millie Trumbach.

"She would travel everywhere on the bus. She knew every bus. How to go, where to go and she was handicap, so she made due," said Wile's friend, Bridget Conroy-Varnis. "She was amazing."

The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.