Family remembers woman killed in apartment fire

PHOENIX - On Wednesday, FOX 10's Linda Williams spoke with the family of a woman who died in an apartment fire.

Heather Williams' family wanted everyone to know how much their daughter loved them, and talked more about the kind of person she was.

"She was my special angel," said Heather's mother, Dawna Wisdom. "She loved everyone. She would give the shirt off her back."

Heather died early Monday morning, when the apartment unit beneath hers caught fire. Three others who live upstairs made it out.

Wisdom said Heather stayed behind, as she frantically searched for her new puppy, Bear.

"He was only three months old. He was just a precious little dog. She loved him, and she would have never, and none of us ever would have left without animals, our babies, because that's what they are: our babies," said Wisdom.

Heather and Bear both perished in the fire. Glendale Fire officials say it appears a hoarder lived in the unit that caught fire, and the fire started in stuff on his patio.

"All I can say is I hope he can live with themselves," said Wisdom. "My baby died. It could have been prevented. I'm never going to be able to hug her. I'm never going to be able to tell her I love her. I'm never going to get my morning phone call saying, 'hi mom, what are you doing?'"

At the apartment on Wednesday sits a small memorial on the fence near Heather's unit, as neighbors remember her as the friendly lady with a huge smile.

Wisdom said Heather, who was 40, worked with children and people with special needs as a behavioral health tech. Her family wants her to be remembered for the giving sharing person she was.