An elderly woman was discovered dead inside a partially collapsed home on the edge of a quiet cul-de-sac in West Mt. Airy on Monday afternoon, according to fire officials.

Firefighters responded to the 7100 block of Mt. Airy Place around 12:30 p.m. after a neighbor noticed that a portion of the back of the house had caved in and called authorities for a wellness check.

Philadelphia Fire Department Chief Charles Walker told reporters at the scene that crews arrived to find significant structural damage, with parts of the first floor having collapsed into the basement.

The woman's body was discovered amid the rubble, officials said. Authorities have not yet released her identity, though neighbors described her as a senior citizen who lived alone.

It remains unclear when the structural failure occurred or how long the woman had been deceased before the discovery.

"We have no idea when this collapse actually occurred," Walker said.

Neighbors gathered behind police tape on Monday as emergency personnel worked at the scene throughout the afternoon. 

“The firemen told me the first floor collapsed as she was in a basement,” said James Williams, a neighbor who was among those present on the scene Monday. “And that's where they found her.”

Williams told the Local that the condition of the house was such that when he heard reports of a probable house collapse, he knew right away what house it was.

“I used to walk in the neighborhood in the morning, and I’d seen her roof – and squirrels going inside, and seeing the snow and the water going in there.”

Williams said he reported the deteriorating roof to the city’s 311 complaint line a year and a half ago but hadn’t heard anything since, and was unsure if the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) had inspected it. City L&I records do not show any violations for the property. 

“I can't say if L&I did or did not respond to it, but it was reported from 311 about a year and a half ago,” Williams said. 

Neighbor Ruth Bridges told the Local that she had known the victim since they were both young.

“She was a retired school teacher who definitely kept to herself,” Bridges said. “Her parents left her the house when they died, and her brother died there five years ago.”

Bridges also said the roof problem has been bad for years.

“Everyone on the block knew it. Whenever there was a rainstorm, the shingles would be flying around the block,” she said. 

Deborah Cantu-Hertzler, a psychologist and former Chestnut Hill resident who moved to the Mt. Airy cul-de-sac seven years ago, said many neighbors had tried to help. 

“She  (the deceased woman) lived in the house since it was built about 40 years ago. Back then her father, Clarence, lived there with her,” Cantu-Hertzler said. “One neighbor told her, ‘You can’t live like this.” But how do you get help in a situation like this, when the person does not want the help? Do you call social services? We think she was about 80, but it’s not like she was physically disabled. She drove her car almost every day to go shopping. She just was not communicative.”

City records indicate the home is owned by the estate of W. Otis Terry Jr. and Patricia A. Terry. The property is listed as being last sold in September 2014 for $493,600.

City records do not show any violations on the property. As of press time on Tuesday, city officials did not respond to questions about what happened to neighbors’ calls to the 311 complaint line. 

The cause of the collapse is currently under investigation. Engineers from L&I are evaluating the structural integrity of the remaining portions of the home.