Man dies in house fire in McKeesport
A man has died in a house fire Sunday morning in McKeesport.
The man, in his 90s, was on the second floor of the wood frame dwelling — where the flames initially were concentrated, according to Ed Harmon, McKeesport deputy fire chief.
When firefighters arrived shortly before 9 a.m. at the two-story house in the 1100 block of Soles Street, the fire “was going pretty well on the second floor,” where bedrooms were located, Harmon said. “It worked its way down through the walls.”
A female occupant had made it safely out of the house and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital to be checked out, according to Harmon. No other injuries were reported.
Firefighters initially responded to the scene to investigate a report of smoke in the area. The incident developed into a two-alarm fire, with four companies battling the blaze and others on standby, Harmon said.
In about an hour, he said, “We had it extinguished except for a couple of hot spots.”
Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to neighboring homes and cleared the scene by about 1:45 p.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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