Local

Crews rescue woman pinned under steps after porch collapse

NORTH SIDE, Pa. — City paramedics and firefighters used power tools to free a woman who was trapped in a metal staircase when her second-floor porch collapsed Thursday night in the Allegheny Commons East apartment complex on the North Side.

Witnesses said the woman was walking down the staircase, which has 14 steps, about 5 p.m. when the porch fell to the ground.

Neighbors heard the woman screaming for help and rushed to lift the steps until emergency personnel arrived, according to witnesses.

Emergency personnel were able to free her just before 6 p.m. and took her to Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side.

No information was available on the extent of her injuries, although she was reported to be conscious and breathing.

The woman gave Channel 11's Julie Fine a "thumbs up" as she was taken away on a stretcher.

Pittsburgh building inspectors were on the scene, trying to determine the cause of the collapse.

Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.