PENN HILLS, Pa. — A fire that destroyed a house in Penn Hills has been ruled arson by the township’s fire marshal.
Around 5:30 a.m. Friday, neighbors on St. Croix Drive woke up to an unusual sound of loud crackling. They looked outside and saw flames ripping through the porch of a home.
“I thought it was the raccoons taking the garbage again, so I went back to sleep for a second. But then it got louder,” said Bruce Kirin, who then immediately called 911. “I woke my wife, we got our rabbits out…next I looked out, the whole porch was on fire.”
Crews said they were able to get the fire under control within an hour but not before it melted the vinyl siding of the house on the other side.
“Brand new neighbors, unfortunately less than a year,” Kirin said. “We were very lucky.”
We spoke with the man who owned the house that caught fire. He said he hasn’t been staying there but said he was getting ready to put the house up for sale.
If you have any information regarding the arson investigation, contact the Penn Hills Fire Marshal’s Office.
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