Pittsburgh's North Shore neighborhood was recently the scene of a two-alarm fire that engulfed a former church building on Progress Street. At approximately 3 p.m., firefighters rushed to the 800 block, an area sandwiched between Chesbro Street and Bolin Way, following reports of smoke and flames billowing from the structure, according to an official press release from the City of Pittsburgh Public Safety Department.
The intensity of the blaze prompted the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire to escalate the incident to a two-alarm response. While the building's external walls remained intact, the inferno caused part of the internal vaulted sanctuary to collapse. No civilians or firefighters were reported injured on the scene.
Detectives from the Fire Investigation Unit were promptly dispatched and ascertained that the source of the fire was near the center of the first floor of the building. However, the specifics of what sparked the fire remain a mystery. The notification was swiftly made to the building owner, who made it to the site following the incident.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, and further updates are expected as information becomes available.
