MILLVALE --
A man climbing out of a second-story window onto a roof to escape a fire in Millvale fell through, WTAE Channel 4 Action News learned.
Sky 4 was over the scene of a house fire on Davis Street in Millvale in the 6 p.m. hour Monday.
The first thing firefighters did when they arrived at the scene was to take care of Samuel Smith, who, from the looks of things, may have landed on his head when he fell through the roof.
Investigators said he may have lost feeling below his neck and paramedics rushed him to Allegheny General Hospital. As of Tuesday morning, the man was listed in good condition.
"If there were no smoke detectors -- because I think the guy was sleeping, I'm not sure -- if there were no smoke detectors, we would have been in there still," said Tim Cundiff, whose house was damaged.
One house seriously damaged, possibly destroyed, and four other homes have smoke and water damage. Many of the residents are renters who do not have insurance.
"It's very difficult. Access was definitely a problem with narrow streets and being on a hill," Millvale Fire Chief Jim Tunstall said.
"I know it's a rowhouse and it could have been really bad. If we had a strong wind, it could have been really bad," Millvale Mayor Vincent Cinski said.
Firefighters said this fire doesn't appear to be suspicious, and the fire marshal continues to investigate.
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