POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – An 8 On Your Side investigation is revealing some discrepancies about what happened the night an elderly woman died in a house fire.
The victim, 76-year-old Loretta Pickard, was on the phone with 911 dispatchers for 20 minutes from inside a burning home. “I think my house is on fire and I’m here alone and I’m on a walker,” Pickard can be heard telling the dispatcher.
Audio, courtesy of Broadcastify (fireground operations begin at the 19 minuite mark)
911 Log: Detailed History for Fire Event #S183271612
The elderly woman sat on the phone with the dispatcher as her Rockridge Road home, tucked away in a rural wooded area, was filling with smoke.
According to the 911 call, Loretta was told over and over again by a dispatcher that help was coming. “They’re there, is your door unlocked?” the dispatcher asked. “Yes, tell them to hurry!” Loretta replied.
Her family wants to know why her rescuers never came, even though firefighters were there.
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