Elderly Woman Dies in Pine Trail Lane Condo Fire

An elderly woman died in a Friday morning fire that started in the bedroom of her Tinley Park condo.

Firefighters found Katherine Siemiontkowski, 74, on the ground in front of a chair after responding to a call at 10:47 a.m. in the 6400 block of Pine Trail Drive, according to a release from the Village of Tinley Park. She was taken from the second-floor unit of the four-unit condominium complex and pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman in another unit in the same building was evacuated but was uninjured, officials said. Residents in two other units managed to get out on their own.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said. The elderly woman's bedroom was the only room damaged by the fire. The first floor of the building sustained some water damage.

According to a neighbor, Siemiontkowski lived with her son, who wasn't home at the time, said Krystina Sonner, a neighbor who lives in the building next door. The condos are two stories, with a separate residential unit on each floor, she said, adding that the woman lives on the second floor.

A landscaper saw smoke billowing out from the first-story door of the elderly woman's unit in the 6400 block of Pine Trail and began to alert other residents, telling them about the fire, Sonner said.

Sonner said she had been sleeping after getting home from work at a local hotel at around 8 a.m. when she heard the landscaper knocking at her door between 10 and 10:15 a.m. 

A volunteer firefighter who was in the neighborhood kicked in the door of the woman's unit to try to rescue her, Sonner said. But the fire was too intense, and the firefighter had to wait for other crews to arrive and contain the blaze, she added.

Fire crews from Mokena, Frankfort and Country Club Hills also responded to the fire, according to Frankfort Fire Department Incidents site. (The site also provided photos to Patch from the scene.)

Siemiontkowski, who went by the nickname, "Kitty," lived in Oak Forest from 1963 to 1982, according to Raymond Przezdziecki, who was her neighbor and knew her for 50 years. Katherine was a nurse at Oak Forest Hospital and had five children, Przezdziecki said, adding that he and his mother talked to her about two weeks ago.  

He called her a "very kind and giving person."

Patch has created an In Memory page for Siemiontkowski where family and friends can share their thoughts, stories and prayers in remembrance of the 74-year-old Tinley Park resident who died Friday.

—Field Editor Nick Swedberg contributed to this report.

UPDATED (12:19 a.m. Sunday, July 7):

Katherine Siemiontkowski, who went by the nickname, "Kitty," lived in Oak Forest from 1963 to 1982, according to Raymond Przezdziecki, who was her neighbor and knew her for 50 years. Katherine was a nurse at Oak Forest Hospital and had five children, Przezdziecki said, adding that he and his mother talked to her about two weeks ago.  

He called her a "very kind and giving person."

Patch has created an In Memory page for Siemiontkowski where family and friends can share their thoughts, stories and prayers in remembrance of the 74-year-old Tinley Park resident who died Friday.

Updated 11:36 a.m., July 6:

The woman who was killed in a Tinley Park condo fire has been identified as 74-year-old Katherine Siemiontkowski, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Siemiontkowski was pronounced dead at 11 a.m., according to the report.

Update 3:47 p.m. July 5:
An elderly woman died in a Friday morning fire that started in the bedroom of her Tinley Park condo.

Firefighters found the woman on the ground in front of a chair after responding to a call at 10:47 a.m. in the 6400 block of Pine Trail Drive, according to a release from the Village of Tinley Park. She was taken from the second-floor unit of the four-unit condominium complex and pronounced dead at the scene.

IN MEMORY: Share Your Thoughts and Remembrances of Siemiontkowski

A woman in another unit in the same building was evacuated but was uninjured, officials said. Residents in two other units managed to get out on their own.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, officials said. The elderly woman's bedroom was the only room damaged by the fire. The first floor of the building sustained some water damage.

Original post

An elderly woman was injured after a fire broke out in her second-story, Pine Trail condo unit, according to reports.

The Tinley Park Fire Department would not comment on the fire and said an official press release from the village would be sent out. The Chicago Tribune reports a woman was taken away in an ambulance from the scene.

According to a neighbor, the woman who was hospitalized lives in the unit where the fire broke out. The elderly woman is disabled and lives with her son, who wasn't home at the time, said Krystina Sonner, a neighbor who lives in the building next door. The condos are two stories, with a separate residential unit on each floor, she said, adding that the woman lives on the second floor.

A landscaper saw smoke billowing out from the first-story door of the elderly woman's unit in the 6400 block of Pine Trail and began to alert other residents, telling them about the fire, Sonner said.

Sonner said she had been sleeping after getting home from work at a local hotel at around 8 a.m. when she heard the landscaper knocking at her door between 10 and 10:15 a.m.

A volunteer firefighter who was in the neighborhood kicked in the door of the woman's unit to try to rescue her, Sonner said. But the fire was too intense, and the firefighter had to wait for other crews to arrive and contain the blaze, she added.

Fire crews from Mokena, Frankfort and Country Club Hills also responded to the fire, according to Frankfort Fire Department Incidents site. (The site also provided photos to Patch from the scene.)