Large fire destroys apartments in Glassport; 3 firefighters taken to hospital

GLASSPORT, Pa. — A fast-moving fire damaged two apartment buildings Sunday afternoon, leaving both structures a total loss, according to the Glassport Fire Department.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE SCENE

Fire Chief Bruce Snyir said the fire likely started in a first-floor bedroom of a white building along Indiana Avenue.

Crews from at least a dozen nearby companies spent more than five hours working to get the flames under control.

Neighbor Sean Gray said he heard an explosion before seeing the fire.

“I was in my house watching TV. All of a sudden, I heard a boom, and then I hear a bunch of people screaming,” Gray said.

Gray said heavy smoke prevented him from going inside to try to rescue a cat.

He added that his family members who lived in the building lost everything.

“My niece is having a baby. She lost all her baby shower stuff. Everything she bought was all in that fire right there,” he said.

Emergency dispatchers were called to the scene around 1:40 p.m.

Drone11 video showed intense flames and thick smoke coming from the roof of both buildings.

At one point, a person and a cat were trapped inside but made it out safely.

A neighbor, Randy Mendez, said his wife and niece were inside the building and escaped just in time.

“Seconds after she walked by, you could see the flames just boom right out the window,” Mendez said.

Chief Snyir said three firefighters and one resident were taken to a nearby hospital.

Two additional firefighters were treated at the scene.

First responders on the scene also said one firefighter fell through a floor while battling the fire.

Snyir said the building’s construction made the fire more difficult to fight, allowing flames to spread through connected rooflines.

“The construction, the build, the style, and it got into the roof, and the roofs are combined to both buildings, so it just got away,” he said.

Part of the roof collapsed as crews worked to contain the fire.

About 850 Duquesne Light Company customers lost power during the response.

Neighbors said they are grateful no one was seriously hurt.

“It was almost like watching a movie, flames just bam right out the window,” one neighbor said.

The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is now investigating the cause.

Crews began demolishing the remains shortly after 10:00 p.m. Sunday. During the night, the excavator they were using fell through the basement and had to be pulled out.