Woman dead in house fire on East 99th Street and Nelson Avenue in Cleveland

CLEVELAND - A woman in her 80s is dead after a fire on Cleveland's east side Thursday morning, according to Cleveland fire officials.

Fire officials told NewsChannel5 83-year-old Patricia Collier Reed lived with her three adult children at the home on East 99th Street and Nelson Avenue. They said Reed was an elderly woman who was trapped inside.

Two of Reed's adult sons were rescued and taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, firefighters said. They also noted they had to cut their way through locked security doors, stalling their rescue effort.

"Making entry was a little difficult because of the door situation. We had to use some specialized tools to get into the doors," said spokesman Larry Gray. Double cylinder security doors that have to be opened with a key from the inside can have deadly results in a fire if the key is not hanging right by the door, Gray explained.

The fire chief said there were oxygen tanks inside the home.

Family members speculate a space heater sparked the fatal fire, but officials are still investigating the exact cause.

Reed's granddaughter said her grandmother had health issues that caused her to be confused. When the fire started, she thinks her grandmother ran to a bathroom and locked the door.

An investigation into if an explosion occurred and the cause of the fire is still ongoing.