PITTSBURGH — Emergency crews were scene of a fire in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood for hours on Tuesday.
Allegheny County dispatchers tell Channel 11 the fire started just before 11 a.m. in a home on Mintwood Street between 39th Street and 40th Street.
And when our crews arrived, heavy smoke was still pouring from the home. A neighbor shared cell footage that showed flames and smoke billowing from the rooftop, he told us initially he thought the smoke was fog from the morning storm.
“[I] looked out the window as the rain was starting and we started seeing what looked like fog coming in and it turned out it was smoke,” said Doug Smith, a nearby neighbor.
A woman who works around the corner was also confused. She was sitting with a co-worker when she saw a lightning strike and assumed it hit a home.
“All of a sudden we see this bright flash like so bright. [We thought] wow that must have been close and then boom we heard the thunder,” Michelle Miller said.
Shortly after, she says she began to see the fire trucks and emergency crews and assumed the bolt had hit a home.
But officials said despite the timing of heavy rain and lightning in the area the storm did not cause the fire.
Fire officials determined the fire began in the bathroom when a natural gas-power space heater caught fire.
Pittsburgh Public Safety says a man in his 70s lived in the home and was able to get out safely before firefighters arrived. He was taken to a hospital for a small burn to his hand and to be evaluated for possible smoke inhalation.
Neighbors told us they were glad he was going to be ok and that crews worked quickly to keep the flames from spreading.
“They’re not fooling around which is great. Houses are so close together that it could spread pretty fast,” Smith said.
Officials have declared this home unlivable, and the American Red Cross has been alerted to help that man.
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