A tragic occurrence disrupted the predawn quiet of Pittsburgh's Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood, leaving one man dead and his wife hospitalized. The blaze that tore through their Apple Street home began around 2 a.m. this morning, as reported by WPXI. Firefighters fought a heavy inferno that engulfed all three floors, struggling against overgrown vegetation and hazardous conditions in their rescue efforts.
Despite arriving quickly at the 6600 block where the fire originated, the woman was able to flee the residence, later informing the crew that her husband remained trapped inside. When the firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the man in a second-floor bedroom that had flames, battling the blaze to rescue him and take him out a window and down a ladder. According to WTAE, the man sadly succumbed at the scene.
The woman, who rushed to the hospital due to smoke inhalation, is currently in stable condition. Firefighting efforts faced various obstacles upon their arrival at the scene. Pittsburgh Fire Battalion Chief Ed Farley detailed to WPXI about the challenges faced, "Just getting to a lot of these houses, getting our lines in place, you can see it is a little bit overgrown," And added, "Steps are slippery. There are holes in the floors."
Thankfully, the raging flames did not spread to neighboring properties. Fire investigators are actively probing to pinpoint the cause of the conflagration that appears to have started on the first floor, near the front of the home. The surrounding houses, watching as fire crews toiled to extinguish the flames, were spared from the spread of this devastating fire. Full determination of the fire's origin and cause remains forthcoming, with officials yet to disclose their findings.
