PENN HILLS, Pa. — A senior high-rise in Penn Hills is being evacuated after the sprinkler system caused flooding inside the building.
Fire crews were called to the Penn Arbor Apartments on Frankstown Road around 3:30 a.m. for a water flow alarm.
Penn Hills EMS Director and Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, Diane Fitzhenry, said that a grease fire occurred in a kitchen on the 9th floor, causing the sprinkler system to go off.
Fitzhenry added that damage to the sprinkler heads resulted in flooding in apartments from the 9th floor all the way down to the main floor.
Due to the flooding and the sprinkler system being non-functional, Fitzhenry said it was in the best interest to evacuate residents and move them to a safe location.
Residents are being moved to the Penn Hills Senior Center as they continue to evacuate floor by floor. There are around 124 units in the building.
There’s no timeframe for when repairs will be finished for residents to move back in.
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