A couch fire turned into a five-alarm ordeal that gutted an apartment building in the South Side Slopes Monday morning, fire officials said.
Residents and neighbors said the fire began at about 11:30 a.m. in a couch on the second floor of the three-story, five-apartment wood frame building on Mt. Oliver Street. No one was injured.
Lora Owens, 54, said her husband tried to help and ran downstairs to use a fire extinguisher but couldn't control the fire.
"Why would they wait for the couch to be fully in flames before they called for help?" she said. "I lost everything."
The fire spread and flames were soon shooting from the third-floor windows and the roof, sending up a column of smoke over Mt. Washington that was visible from as far away as Oakland. All residents, including Owens, another woman and seven children, were all safe and accounted for, said Assistant Fire Chief Tom Cook.
Next-door neighbor Thomas Rahuba, 56, said he'd been a few houses away visiting his mother when she noticed the smoke coming from his street. He rushed back and helped another neighbor check the house for any residents or pets inside, he said.
Due to the severity of the fire, firefighters had to take a defensive posture early, spraying the narrow spaces between the apartment building and its neighbors, Cook said.
The fire went to five alarms as of 12:40 p.m., mostly to bring in extra manpower and relieve firefighters suffering in the heat, Cook said. The fire was declared under control at 2:18 p.m.
You must be signed in to add comments
To comment, click Sign in or sign up at the very top of this page.
Copyright 2012 - The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
