Morning Roundup: Downed power lines hazard; catalytic converters stolen; Mineo’s pizza recognized

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, July 11:

Downed power line spark fire

Two women were rescued from a home in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill-City View neighborhood Wednesday after power lines sparked a fire and made it dangerous for firefighters to battle, according to Pittsburgh Police.

Crews were called to Luella Street around 3:20 p.m., but had to wait for utility crews to arrive. Pittsburgh Fire Battalion Chief Thomas Pilch said the whole house was energized.

“We were sort of in a standing pattern until Duquesne Light arrived, until they shut the power off,” he told TribLive news partner WTAE. “We couldn’t put any water on the fire … because it’s too dangerous. Water and electricity do not mix.”

One of the rescued women was checked out by medics on scene after being shocked by a nearby fence, police said. She refused transport to a hospital.

Utility crews were working at the scene Thursday morning. Power outages were reported around the region Thursday and Duquesne Light blamed them on winds, which reached 40 mph.

Catalytic converters stolen

Catalytic converters were cut from three vehicles that were parked on Towne Square Drive at the border of Hempfield and Greensburg, state police reported Thursday. The thefts happened between 10 p.m. July 1 and 11 a.m. July 2.

The catalytic converters were valued at several thousand dollars, troopers said.

Catalytic converters are made of precious metals including platinum, palladium and rhodium and can fetch large sums at scrap yards that accept them. The devices control exhaust emissions. They can be cut from underneath vehicles in moments, and such thefts have increased in recent years nationwide. It can cost about $1,000 to replace one.

Mineo’s a readers pick

Well-known Pittsburgh pizzeria Mineo’s Pizza House was named in a New York Times list of its 15 favorite reader submissions of their go-to pizza joints around the world.

The article states that the reader submissions came pouring in after reporters made their own list of some of the best in the country. The spots that made the cut on the readers’ list are from around the world — Rwanda, Australia, Peru. Pittsburgh’s entry, a submission from Stephen Quigley, described a Mineo’s pie as having heavy cheese with an al dente crust.

“This pizza is different from any other I have ever tasted,” he wrote in the submission.

A family business, Mineo’s has been in operation for more than six decades with a few locations around the area.