Crews battle 3rd Leishman Avenue house fire in 24 hours
Firefighters responded this weekend to three separate house fires along Leishman Avenue in Arnold and New Kensington within 24 hours.
Sunday evening, a third house fire on the street brought crews to the 1500 block, according to Westmoreland 911 dispatchers. The fire was reported at 9:39 p.m. Sunday in Arnold. Initial reports indicated all occupants of the house escaped the house without injury.
No further information was immediately available.
Earlier in the weekend, two vacant properties just blocks away from each other caught fire along Leishman.
Fire departments responded to a call at a vacant home on 1743 Leishman Ave. in Arnold shortly at 1:16 p.m. Sunday, Arnold Fire Department spokesman Chris O’Leath said.
He said nearby residents called after they noticed smoke coming from inside the home, which has been abandoned for at least 10 years.
A small fire on the first floor was extinguished within minutes, O’Leath said.
Engines from Arnold, New Kensington and Lower Burrell responded. There were no injuries.
O’Leath said the fire department has initially listed the cause “as suspicious.”
The first fire was reported at 10:56 p.m. Saturday at another vacant home about four blocks away at 1240 Leishman Ave. in New Kensington. It also was extinguished without incident.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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