PITTSBURGH --
More than 20 people living in a Pittsburgh apartment building have lost everything they own. However, firefighters said the bravery of one of the residents may have saved lives.
Pittsburgh fire crews were called to a building at the corner of Brighton and Woods Run roads, which has businesses on the first level and apartments above.
Fire crews said the four-alarm fire in Woods Run started before 1 a.m. on the first floor and worked its way up to the higher floors of the building.
Channel 4 Action News' Ari Hait reported witnesses said the fire started in a convenience store on the lower level of the building and quickly spread.
One person was taken to Allegheny General Hospital suffering from shortness of breath.
Firefighters told Hait that one person ran back inside the burning building and knocked on doors to make sure everyone was out.
Firefighters now have the fire under control, but that wasn't the case at the height of the fire. Hait reported firefighters had to evacuate the building quickly after a backdraft caused the entire building to become engulfed in flames.
The building's residents were able to escape the fire, but had to stand outside, watching as their homes burned.
"Everybody was out here just crying, because they didn't know what was going on. You know, everybody was just shocked because we've never had a fire in our building or nothing before," said resident Christina Turner.
Twenty-one people have been displaced by the fire.
Investigators told Hait that while they're still looking into the cause of the fire, right now they believe it was accidental.
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