Fire Marshal Investigating House Fire In McKeesport
PITTSBURGH (KDKA)--When firefighters arrived at the scene of a house fire Friday morning, the home on Bateman Road in North Fayette Township and garage were fully engulfed in flames.
This was quite a fire and it took several companies to battle it including North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon and Moon Run.
At one point the North Fayette Township Fire Chief said there was too much fire to send anyone inside and the house was unstable. The majority of the roof had collapsed as well as part of the floor.
Neighbor, Shelly Makrush says she watched the flames from her yard. "When I came out, the roof was engulfed in flames. It was a pretty vivid fire."
Neighbor Dee Pozzi describes what she saw. "At first, it was just a couple little flames coming off the top and then within seconds, it was fully engulfed, the whole roof, it was actually kind of scary. You weren't sure if the house was going to blow up."
By morning light, the house was still burning.
One neighbor says it took some time before firefighters could get water on the house because the hydrants didn't work initially.
Two men who lived in the house were able to get out unharmed, but neighbors say there have been problems here before. "It's been an ongoing ordeal with the house next door, hopefully the chaos and everything that has been going on is over."
Neighbors say everything that has been going on includes a meth lab inside the house. North Fayette Township Police say that is not true.
Neighbors also say a woman died of an overdose in the house last October. Police did confirm a woman did die in the house but would not say how she died.
The house is now a mere burned out shell.