PITTSBURGH — Thick plumes of smoke billowed through Squirrel Hill Tuesday morning as flames tore through a nearby apartment building on Forward Avenue – one street away from Murray Avenue, which has several storefronts and businesses.
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Mindy McHale owns StrongerNow – a women’s fitness studio. She had to hold her client’s scheduled morning session virtually, from home, as the fire raged on.
“It’s a slow afternoon here – slow morning, slow afternoon, so luckily, we didn’t have any clients we had to reschedule,” McHale said. “My first concern is for the people who were affected by the fire.”
Murray Avenue was shut down for much of Tuesday, and Duquesne Light Company temporarily shut off power in the area, resulting in most businesses closing early.
Vending machine owner Tom Pontzloff and one of his employees used a cart to bring in items to the lobby of the nearby Morrowfield Apartments after having to park a few streets over.
“I thought, ‘I’m not leaving here, i came down here, so I have to get here somehow,” Pontzloff said. “I’m wondering how I’ll even get back onto the Parkway.”
As for the rest of the day…
“I’ve already let my clients know – if they are concerned, if they have breathing issues or any concerns, just to cancel,” McHale said.
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