DUQUESNE, Pa. — Firefighters were hampered by low water pressure when they were called to put out a blaze that destroyed an apartment building in Duquesne shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, the city's fire chief said.
The fire was reported at the Hilltop Parkview Apartments on Duquesne Place. Flames shot through the roof of one of the buildings. At least 19 fire companies responded.
Officials said the fire started on the first floor of the Laurel building, which contains 24 units, and reached the common roof, causing it to spread rapidly.
Residents told Channel 11's Lori Houy that everyone inside the burning building was safely evacuated, but many lost everything.
“We have nothing. Just the clothes on our back,” fire victim Anita Beatty said.
Some residents, including Beatty, told Channel 11 News the fire alarms inside the building were not working.
Beatty said she was asleep in her apartment in the Laurel building when she was jolted out of bed by a knock on the door and maintenance workers yelling for her to get out.
“This is all I grabbed: my phone and my keys. That's it. That's all I have to my name,” Beatty said.
Christina Smith said she also had not heard smoke alarms and was startled when she heard someone yell, “Fire.”
“I thought it was a joke at first, but when I opened my door, there was black smoke, like totally black in the hallway, and it started coming back in my apartment,” she said. “I threw my kids out the window, and I threw myself out the window and we got out.”
Houy also learned that firefighters had trouble with the hydrants in the complex, and were forced to use hydrants outside the fence.
“What they said is they ain't got enough fire hydrants out here and that's why it started way at the end and spread,” tenant Darryl Pruitt said.
Duquesne Fire Chief Andrew Fedor said there were no hydrant problems. He said, however, the hydrant water system was dated and did not provide good water pressure since the apartment building is on one of the highest points in Duquesne.
Crews eventually plugged into a hydrant below and outside the complex and called in tanker trucks from as far away as Monroeville, Target 11’s Rick Earle reported.
Several firefighters were treated for heat-related issues, with two being transported to the hospital for treatment. One civilian was treated at the scene for breathing issues related to asthma but refused medical transport, authorities said.
Officials said the Laurel building is a total loss. Initial reports indicated that a total of 66 people were displaced -- 40 children and 26 adults.
While initially the apartment complex's managers said they were providing housing for those affected, residents told Channel 11 News on Wednesday that wasn’t the case.
Betty Thompson said management told her to find friends or family to stay with until further notice.
“We're supposed to be a burden on other people's lives?” Thompson said.
The American Red Cross told Channel 11 News that shortly after the fire was brought under control, the apartment management rescinded its offer to house those displaced at the last minute with no reason given. When reached by phone for comment, the property manager hung up.
Thompson and the other 65 people displaced were given vouchers, but the money only goes so far.
“Now we have to use that for food, clothing (and) housing. And I don't know if anyone has looked, but hotels are not cheap,” Thompson said.
Rev. Eric Ewell said he’ll conduct a
clothing drive on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at his church, the Divine Restoration Church of God in Christ in Duquesne
. He grew up in the building that burned down and knows how tough it can be.
“That's the main reason I started this church, to help the community,” Ewell said.
The Duquesne Fire Department declared the fire under control at 5:29 p.m. Tuesday. Several units remained on the scene late Tuesday evening to handle hot spots. The fire marshal also remained on scene to continue his investigation into the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, Target 11 continued to dig into the fire hydrant water pressure issues and uncovered a report from 2000 that said the hydrant system was outdated. It wasn’t immediately clear whether any work has been done on the system since then.
City Manager Frank Piccolino said he’s not sure if the city or the apartment complex is responsible for the hydrants, but he promised to sit down and discuss the issue with the fire chief and the water company.
“We are looking into it, obviously. The fire chief questioned the hydrant pressure up top, which is the highest elevation in the city,” Piccolino said. “I need to talk to him just to see who was first on scene and what happened when they got there.”
When Target 11 followed up Wednesday, Piccolino said he had already met with the water company.
“We are trying to discuss (whether they can increase the water flow to get better pressure), but we need to run it by the city engineer,” Piccolino said. “If we have to open up more valves throughout the city, that's kind of what we are trying to look at.”
The city manager said hydrants are tested two times a year and added that there hadn't been any issues with pressure before Tuesday’s apartment fire. For comparison, Pittsburgh has 7,500 fire hydrants, which are inspected once every five years.
“Nobody has called regarding low pressure. If there is low pressure, they should call the city and we usually go out. We test meters. We test hydrants for flow. We check out storage facilities to make sure there's a proper amount of water,” Piccolino said.
Piccolino also told Target 11 that the city building inspector is now investigating residents’ complaints that fire alarms inside the building were not working.
“So he was on-site yesterday, and he went back today to try and verify that report if there was working fire alarms,” Piccolino said. “(I) still don't know. (I) haven't heard anything back.”
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