At 3:58 am, City of Pittsburgh Fire Dispatch alerted firefighters for a residential structure fire with possible entrapment, at 307 Meyran Way in the Oakland section of the City of Pittsburgh. Within minutes, the first battalion chief on scene confirmed a fully involved fire in a three story brick residential structure with possible extension to adjoining structures and requested a second alarm assignment at 4:02am.
Minutes later, it was confirmed that the fire had spread to two other residential structures with heavy fire in beginning in the two structures and at 4:06 a third alarm was dispatched.
The home that was the origin of the fire had three people home at the time, two people were evacuated from the structure, but the third, a 21 year old perished and was found on the third floor of the home. The cause of his death was determined to be from smoke inhalation. Six other students were home in the adjoining homes and made it out safely. All three homes housed college students attending the University of Pittsburgh which is also located in Oakland.
Firefighters remained on the scene for several hours once the fire was placed under control at 4:50am. Firefighters returned to the scene when the fire reignited around 8:15am. The cause of the fire has been ruled an accident and appeared to have started on a couch on the first floor.
