Morning roundup: Fire causes damage at Champion Lakes Golf Course

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, June 17, 2024.

Fire damages building at Champion Lakes Golf Course

Champion Lakes Golf Course was expected to be open for business Monday after firefighters doused a blaze Sunday evening in a building at the Fairfield Township course.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the second floor of the building, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. There were no injuries in the fire that happened after 6 p.m. along Route 711.

Firefighting units were dispatched from more than a dozen departments, including seven tanker trucks. Fairfield Township fire Chief Kevin Stiffler noted the area is not served by fire hydrants.

The course was co-founded by late Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Dick Groat. His daughter, Allison DeStefano, expressed gratitude for the response of firefighters and relief that the fire hadn’t spread further.

The fire’s cause is under investigation.

7 injured in North Versailles crash

Seven people were transported to trauma centers for treatment following a Sunday night crash on Route 30 in North Versailles.

The two-vehicle wreck was reported at 9:20 p.m., west of Clyde Avenue, and caused closure of a stretch of Route 30, including the nearby George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge, for nearly two hours.

The injuries were serious but non-life-threatening, according to North Versailles police.

An eastbound Chevy Aveo crossed into the westbound lanes, colliding head-on with a Kia Sorento SUV, police said.

Police are trying to determine the factors that contributed to the crash.

Man rescued from Fayette caverns

First responders and rescue organization combined efforts Saturday afternoon, bringing to the surface a man injured deep inside Fayette County’s Laurel Caverns.

It took about three hours to rescue the man, who had a broken ankle, according to Allegheny County Rescue Group, which took part in the effort. The man was placed in a basket-type carrier before being moved through tight passages and steep areas that required use of ropes.

Other organizations that assisted in the rescue include firefighters form Hopwood, Fairchance, Ohiopyle-Stewart, Smithfield and Haydentown, along with medics, Eastern Region National Cave Rescue Commission and Mountaineer Area Rescue Group.