PITTSBURGH --
A 32-year-old man is dead following a fire at his home in the Greenfield section of Pittsburgh on Sunday night.
City firefighters were called to a house in the 4400 block of McCaslin Street just after 10 p.m. (See Map)
The victim is Anthony Guercio, 32, who lived in the home and used a wheelchair, according to a neighbor.
The medical examiner said Guercio died from burns over his entire body.
Guercio was the only person in the home when the fire broke out, firefighters said. He was found about 6 feet away from the front door.
"The damage from the fire was actually minimal. It was pretty much confined to the area where the victim was," said Assistant Fire Chief Francis Deleonibus. "There was some scorching to the walls and the ceiling, and the entire house was full of smoke."
Family and friends said Guercio was diagnosed with MS at 24 and became confined to a wheelchair about three years ago but had always been positive and a fighter.
"Anthony was always a very personable guy," said family friend Luanne Szvzypinski. "He was always somebody that had a smile on his face. He was somebody who was friends with everyone. He was like a little brother to me. The little brother that I never had."
City fire officials continue to investigate the cause.
Guercio appeared in a WTAE Channel 4 Action News story in May 2001, speaking about his father, Frederick, who died in a small airplane crash near John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport.
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