Early this morning, a house in Penn Hills was engulfed in flames after an open burn got out of control. The fire, reported just before 10:30 a.m. on the 5400 block of Bower Avenue, led to emergency crews flooding the area to battle the blaze, according to WTAE. The Penn Hills fire marshal declared the house a total loss and categorized the incident as an accident.
While dealing with the fire, a portion of Saltsburg Road was temporarily blocked off from Rosedale Street to Stephens Lane to give firefighters the space they needed to manage the situation. Substantial damage was observed as part of the house caved in, and a vehicle on the roadway was subjected to such intense heat that it melted, as reported by WPXI. Despite the severity of the fire, no injuries have been reported at this time.
Additional resources were called in as firefighters raised the response to two alarms to contain the flames. Local channel WPXI had a team on site and confirmed that although the emergency teams responded quickly, the destruction was extensive. The American Red Cross has been called to assist those impacted by the disaster, offering support to anyone displaced by the fire.
