Two people were hurt but managed to escape a fire that tore through a house in Stafford Township early Friday morning, February 13, 2026.
Betty Matero, 92, could not get out. Authorities say she died of smoke inhalation.
“I got my mother-in-law in the bedroom upstairs,” a 911 caller said. “I can’t reach her, I can’t even see…the black, black smoke.”
“It was just like a kick in the stomach,” neighbor E.J. Hradek said. “Because you just feel so heartbroken for a person who has lived a long life like that and have that happen.”
Investigators say a failure of lithium-ion batteries likely caused the accidental fire, which started in a storage container outside.
The tragedy is putting a renewed focus on the hazards associated with the batteries. They’re used in a growing number of common rechargeable products.
“You want to make sure that you’re only charging them when you can supervise them and when they are fully charged,” Kelly Ransdell with the National Fire Protection Association said. “Take them off the charger. Don’t leave them on it.”
Also, experts suggest that you check to make sure the batteries are not damaged in any way. And don’t keep them in places that get too hot or too cold.
“It can make them very brittle, which can cause them to break more easily and also go into thermal runaway,” Ransdell said.