WILMERDING, Pa. — Flames could be seen shooting from a Wilmerding apartment building Monday afternoon.
Twenty people, including five children, have been forced out of their homes.
Neighbors told Channel 11 they heard a big boom that sounded like an explosion.
In a video from a viewer, neighbors can be heard praying for the people inside.
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The back side of the units, along Middle Avenue, is charred.
Neighbors who ran outside to help those that were still inside say they saw one tenant jump from his balcony to escape the fast-moving flames.
Channel 11 spoke with a couple of neighbors who said they're thankful to be alive tonight.
“I was asleep and my grandson screamed, 'Grandma, Grandma, wake up. There’s a fire!' So I woke up and we looked out the back door and sure enough there was a big fire,” said Cassandra Hoye, who lives next door to the unit in which the fire started.
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“It just blew everything off the back porches of my sister’s house. Her whole back porches blew off,” said neighbor Jaqueline Wright.
There are no reports of any injuries or deaths as a result of the fire.
The Red Cross said they are assisting 15 adults and 5 children from a total of 8 units. They are providing food, clothing and temporary lodging.