Ammo Found In Penn Hills Home Made Fire Difficult To Fight
PENN HILLS (KDKA) -- A fire destroyed a home in Penn Hills on Monday night, and a stash of ammunition found inside made the flames especially difficult to fight.
The flames were reported just after 8 p.m. in the 6400-block of Leechburg Road.
When Penn Hills firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was raging out of control. Flames shot through the roof and firefighters had to deal with a lot more than just fire.
"Big problem was, there was a large amount of ammunition inside the house which was going off at the same time when we were trying to attack the fire," Penn Hills Fire Chief John Capone.
Penn Hills Police and a neighbor were first to arrive at the fire. They busted down a door to rescue the family pets and a couple of people inside.
"We found a dog in a cage, so we [dragged] the dog outside to safety, and then I went downstairs looking for more people occupying the building, which there were people downstairs, and luckily we got everyone out safe," said Ronald Depew, a neighbor.
But the house is destroyed. The fire burned through the roof.
A family friend says it's difficult to conceive.
"You see fires on TV every day, but when they're your friends and their house is burning down to the ground, I mean, it's really different," said Rick Meising, a family friend.
So far, there's also no word on what sparked the fire.
Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.
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