A fire ripped through a Long Beach home Wednesday night, killing an 82-year-old woman and her dog.
The blaze in the 2300 block of Daisy Avenue was reported at 9:19 p.m., according to Long Beach Fire Department.
The incident remains under investigation, but fire investigators say it appears to be accidental. The victim used an oxygen tank, had a space heater on and her smoke detectors were not working, officials said.
"My mom was just a powerful person, everything she did was," said the victim's son. He identified her as Joan Pizzato.
He said his mother flew planes, was a welder and a teacher. Her health was failing, forcing her family to put her into a home hospice so she could be with her Labradors Dolly, who survived the fire, and Dude, who her family believes didn't leave Pizzatto's side.
Neighbors said they believed Pizzato was at the hospital when the fire started.
"We really didn't know what was going on," said neighbor Alease Solomon. "At first we didn't think she was in the house, but then we heard she was there."
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Pizzato was not able to escape.
"I was sad," neighbor Henry Solomon said. "She was part of the neighborhood. We are a pretty close-knit neighborhood. Everyone gets along well."
Firefighters say this serves as a reminder to check that smoke detectors are working properly.
