2 Killed In Hill District Fire, 4 Hospitalized
HILL DISTRICT (KDKA) -- Two people were killed in a fire in the Hill District early Sunday morning, and four people, including a firefighter, were sent to the hospital.
Emergency crews were sent to the 2400-block of Wylie Avenue just after 3 a.m. for a report of a fire in a three-story structure.
Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler says when officers arrived, they discovered people were trapped on the upper floors of the building.
According to Toler, a male jumped to his death and was pronounced dead at the scene.
"[Firefighters] witnessed that happen," Pittsburgh Fire Bureau Deputy Chief Michael Mullen said. "The guy suffered fatal head injuries as a result of that jump."
The three-story building had a beauty salon on the first floor.
One person was later found dead on the top floor of the building.
"Crews that were working from a roof who could see him through the roof that burned away were able to locate him," Mullen said.
"They had to bring the one fatality out and carry him across our building and down the ladder to get him out," neighbor Joyce Jones said.
The victims' identities have not yet been released.
The entrance to the second-floor apartment is in the back of the building, but neighbors and firefighters say flames were so intense that no one on that floor could get out.
Three other people also jumped from the building. One is listed in critical condition.
Najee Richards lives in a row house next door to the burning building.
"As soon as we came out, I seen a cop drag somebody right here," Richards said. "People were jumping out the windows, the roof..."
"As bad as the fire was on the original fire structure, they strategically got water exactly where it needed to be and were able to stop the fire," Mullen said.
"They did a good job. I respect them, excellent job," Richards said. "They came on time and did what they were supposed to do."
A firefighter was also sent to UPMC Mercy. He sustained minor injuries after falling through the roof of the building.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Toler says the Red Cross is assisting at least eight people, and the Salvation Army supported emergency crews and the public at the scene.
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