HARMAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — It was a frightening morning for six families living above Lee’s Laundromat at 105 Herron Avenue in Harmar Township. A fire broke out at the downstairs business shorty after 4 a.m.
Residents living above the business had to evacuate.
“I awoke to the alarms downstairs going off and I was in a towel because I just got out of the shower. So, I threw on some clothes and grabbed Sunsoo here and we ran outside,” said Patrick Saunders.
Saunders has lived on Herron Avenue for close to 10 years.
He and other residents were pretty rattled after hearing all the fire alarms sound early in the morning.
There are 6 units above Lee’s Laundromat and all of the families living there made it out safely.
“Fire alarms, pounding on the door. Neighbors going door to door looking out for one another,” Saunders said.
Fire investigators called the building’s owner. He said the circumstances surrounding the blaze don’t seem accidental.
“I don’t want to speculate on suspicion at this point. It’s just odd,” said Building Owner, Clyde Vitali.
The business was closed at the time. The only burn mark is inside a locked bathroom door. Fire investigators also smelled gasoline near the door.
“It does seem odd there are no appliances in there that were showing any signs of heat. There’s nothing. Nobody was supposed to be in the building,” said Captain Levi Bauer from the Allegheny Valley Fire Department.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal walked through the structure with a dog to search for evidence. Harmar Township police also used flashlights searching the ground for any possible evidence.
Smoke damage was contained to the first-floor business. The building’s owner, Clyde Vitali, said residents will be able to return to their apartments.
Saunders has mixed feeling about that.
“I do and I don’t. You’re not safe anywhere nowadays,” he said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is looking into a cause. They’re hoping some surveillance video will provide some clues.
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