Brush fire breaks out at historic Pittsburgh cemetery

A brush fire in an historic Pittsburgh cemetery took hours to put on Tuesday night.

The director of the Allegheny Cemetery tells Channel 11 he’s never seen anything like this in the 10 years he’s been here.

Channel 11's Aaron Martin went back to the cemetery Wednesday to see the damage firsthand - for Channel 11 News at 5 p.m.

“Whether someone was in the woods tonight with a cigarette or whatever could start the fire itself, we’re unsure at this point,” said David Michener.

The fire started around 7 p.m. on a steep hillside on the Stanton Avenue side of the cemetery. Fire crews were still putting out hotspots after 11 p.m.

Pittsburgh fire Chief Darryl Jones tells Channel 11 the brush fire covered about four acres and it spread quickly.

The fire began in a remote wooded area, away from any graves or structures inside the cemetery, but Jones said that’s what made fighting the blaze so hard.

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“We used ropes tied to trees to come down the hillside just to stabilize ourselves so no one would fall,” he said. “They’re moving tools and things like that up and down the hillside. And it’s just very rocky terrain.”

No graves or grave sites were damaged.

Arson investigators are at the scene.

Cox Media Group