Fire hits Glassport apartments
Two buildings were destroyed as 12 companies fought the blaze for more than five hours.
Firefighters were at the scene for hours Sunday after a fire tore through multiple apartment units in Glassport. Allegheny County dispatchers said firefighters were called to the 600 block of Indiana Avenue shortly after 1:30 p.m.
Neighbors said they heard a loud explosion before flames spread through multiple buildings. “It sounded like a bomb went off,” Sean Gray told WTAE. “If you go on that side of the house, that’s where the explosion landed. It blew the air conditioner out the window.”
Randy Mendez told WTAE that a downstairs neighbor warned residents moments before flames erupted.
“The downstairs neighbor beat at the door,” Mendez said. “He opened my niece’s door and screamed, ‘Fire,’ and they hurried up and got out in time. Seconds after she had walked by, you could see the flames boom right out the window.”
Smoke and heavy flames were visible from the top floor of one of the buildings.
According to WTAE, firefighters rescued a cat from the scene and took it to a veterinarian.
Fire officials said the blaze began in a bedroom in the lower unit of a white apartment building before quickly spreading to a neighboring apartment building.
Glassport Fire Chief Bruce Snyir said the age and construction of the buildings made the fire especially difficult to control.
“There’s just so many void spaces. There’s roof after roof up there,” Snyir said. “So there’s a void space in between each roof and the ceiling. So the fire just gets in there and it runs and it’s almost impossible for us to get to it.”
At least 12 fire companies and about 100 firefighters responded to the scene and fought the fire for more than five hours, according to reports from our news partners.
Officials said both apartment buildings were destroyed and will have to be demolished.
Two firefighters were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, while three firefighters and one resident were taken to area hospitals for treatment.
Nearby homes sustained smoke and fire damage.
Residents in surrounding homes were evacuated, and officials urged people to avoid the area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
