Fire crews continued to battle a fire Tuesday morning that began Monday evening and spread to three buildings in Vandergrift.
The fire broke out in the vacant Longfellow Inn building in Vandergrift late Monday spread to two other buildings, according to authorities.
Vandergrift VFD #2 Chief Steve Potoka confirmed one firefighter sustained a knee injury and was sent to the hospital, but is expected to recover.
Potoka said a state trooper from Greensburg was at the scene.
"We've been here since 11:35 p.m. Monday, and we had a large fire load here that could have got out of hand," Potoka said.
The other two buildings affected are private residences, and one elderly couple has been displaced.
No further injuries were reported.
"We're just trying to get the hotspots now," Potoka said Tuesday morning. "The building collapsed on itself like a pancake, and there's fire between each floor."
Homeowners Dillon and Renae Crytzer said they escaped the blaze with their young children Monday night and called 911.
They said they've pulled an all-nighter watching fire crews fight the blaze and are "grateful" their home wasn't destroyed in the fire.
Their home sustained exterior siding damage and possible water damage.
"I'm heartbroken for the couple that was displaced, and the Salvation Army is assisting them," Renae Crytzer, 25, said.
"It's tiring. These guys have been there all night and they have to go to work. We had 75 to 100 responders," Potoka said.
The cause of the fire is undetermined and still under investigation.
It's the second time in a week that three buildings in Vandergrift were on fire. On Thursday morning, six Vandergrift residents were left homeless when their three respective homes caught fire.
___
(c)2021 The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)
Visit The Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.) at www.triblive.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
