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Firefighters battle 4-alarm blaze at East Liberty apartment building

EAST LIBERTY, Pa. — No one was seriously injured in a four-alarm fire at an East Liberty apartment building Wednesday morning.

Firefighters were called to the 12-unit building on Broad Street just after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Officials said a resident who noticed the fire alerted neighbors and helped evacuate the building.

“I looked out my window on the side and the fire was over the top of my head,” Donna Simmons said.

Eight of the units in the building were occupied, said Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones.

Jones said the department went to a fourth alarm because of the heat of the day, high humidity and the size of the fire.

“We need to rotate our crews out as much as possible to guard against heat exhaustion,” Jones said.

Firefighters evacuated some surrounding homes, but the fire did not spread.

“I was sleeping in the front, then I came out to the back and I saw the fire. I told my friend, and we got our stuff and got out,” said Matthew Nichel, who lives nearby.

The building is uninhabitable.

“Just as long as everybody is safe. We lost everything, but we got our life,” Simmons said.

The Red Cross is helping displaced residents find a place to stay.

“A lot of damage is on the third floor. The cause and point of origin is still under investigation at this time,” Jones said.