Fire destroys vacant house, damages nearby garage in Harrison, fire chief says
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A fire was reported at a vacant house in Harrison on Saturday afternoon.
Hilltop Hose Fire Company confirmed it responded to the blaze, as did volunteers from Citizens Hose.
The fire was reported at 4 p.m. at 67 River Ave. in the Natrona neighborhood, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher.
The building where the fire began was not occupied, said Michael Krzeminski, fire chief at Hilltop Hose Fire Company. The owner, he said, used the building as a camp for occasional fishing trips.
“Upon arrival of the fire department, the building was engulfed, with fire coming out of every window,” Krzeminski said.
The house was destroyed, he said.
“Two of the walls, even the exterior walls, are burned off,” he said. “The destruction is very, very complete. It looks like an empty shell of a building left.”
The flames spread to a next-door neighbor’s garage, which suffered “pretty extensive damage,” including a partially collapsed roof, Krzeminski said.
On the other side of the building, a commercial property sustained limited damage. Krzeminski said he did know who owns that property, but it was unoccupied.
Buildings in the area are “tightly packed upon each other,” making it easier for fires to spread to neighboring structures, Krzeminski said.
No injuries were reported.
The house where the fire originated has electrical service, but no natural gas, Krzeminski said. When his crew left the scene Saturday night, he said, the cause of the fire had not been identified. Allegheny County fire marshals are investigating.
It took about an hour and a half to control the blaze, which Krzeminski said was burning “extremely hot.”
In addition to three fire companies from Harrison, crews from Brackenridge, Tarentum, Buffalo Township and Springdale responded to the blaze.
Fighting a fire in an area with buildings so close together is challenging, Krzeminski said, noting it is hard to get equipment into position.
“Because of the tight-packed buildings there, it was a difficult firefight,” he said.