A newspaper carrier who saved an elderly couple from a burning house in Tarentum on Monday said the response to her actions “has been a little overwhelming,” as praise for her bravery pours in and people rally to help her recover from the losses she suffered in a car fire just two days before the rescue.
Jennifer Colarossi, 38, of the Natrona Heights section of Harrison, who has been delivering the Tribune-Review for about six months, was on her delivery route early Nov. 7 when she smelled smoke coming from a house in the 900 block of Grantham Street in West Tarentum.
She called 911 and sprung into action when she heard a plea for help from just inside the front door of the home. There, she found a man at the threshold amid thick black smoke. His wife was on the floor inside.
The woman couldn’t move because of a previous medical condition, and her husband was unwilling to leave the house without her, Colarossi said.
So, she dragged the woman onto the porch and pulled the man out just as first responders arrived.
When she was cleared by authorities to leave the scene, Colarossi went back to delivering her papers.
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Jennifer L. Bertetto, president and chief executive officer of Trib Total Media, sent a letter this week thanking Colarossi for her actions.
The company also presented Colarossi with a check for $7,500 to help her replace her car and other possessions that were destroyed when the vehicle caught fire about a week ago. The car was not covered against fire damage, and she lost about $400 worth of items she had just bought at the Pittsburgh Mills mall.
“It is said that heroes do the right thing regardless of the consequences,” Bertetto wrote in the letter. “Early on Monday morning, your actions were the definition of heroic. In the eyes of everyone in the Alle-Kiski Valley, a hero was among us.
“When you smelled smoke on your delivery route, and found a house engulfed in flames, you took action. An immediate call to 911 is what anyone would do. But you took it further,” Bertetto wrote.
“Without hesitation, you went searching for people within the house. You discovered them, an elderly couple, and guided them to safety,” Bertetto wrote. “Without a doubt, you saved their lives.
“You put yourself in harm’s way, even though you have a family of your own. Two days before, you suffered personal loss from a fire — a terrible coincidence that makes your act all the more selfless. I cannot fully articulate the way your actions have touched the hearts of everyone in our community.
“I am confident the world is a better place because of you,” Bertetto wrote to Colarossi.
Colarossi said she has received numerous messages “from people who don’t even know me, never met me before,” thanking her for saving the couple.
“I really appreciate all the thoughtfulness from everyone,” she said. “It’s just amazing that there are so many wonderful people around, and I’m happy that my kids are able to see that. Everything that has happened after this fire has been a blessing.”
Colarossi is a single mom with four daughters, ages 19, 17, 7 and 5. In addition to her part-time job delivering the Trib, she works part time in the medical field.
She said the elderly couple’s daughter, who lives in Pittsburgh, contacted her through social media on the day of the fire to express her gratitude.
“The first thing she said to me was: ‘Thank you so much for being there to save my mom and dad,” Colarossi said.
While the messages from friends and strangers have touched Colarossi deeply, she said hearing from the couple’s daughter brought her to tears.
“It was very emotional. I told her I was just happy that I was able to do something for them,” Colarossi said.
A gofundme page to help Colarossi replace her vehicle and the possessions she lost also has been set up.
Colarossi’s decision to act when she encountered the house fire also caught the attention of officials from the Carnegie Hero’s Fund, which has nominated her to receive a medal.
Her actions will be reviewed by the organizations board in early 2023. Officials say the process typically takes several months before award winners are announced.
The woman Colarossi saved is still receiving medical treatment for smoke inhalation and her husband received temporary housing assistance from the American Red Cross, according to Josh Fox, chief of the Summit Hose Company in West Tarentum.
“The fire was contained to the basement area, but the first and second floors sustained damage from smoke and heat,” Fox said. “The house is boarded up, and they will have to get a restoration company in there before anyone can move back in.”
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony by email at tlarussa@triblive.com or via Twitter .