Dozens Left Without A Home On Easter After Brentwood Apartment Building Fire
BRENTWOOD (KDKA) -- Dozens of people from the South Hills are without a home on Easter.
A fire ripped through an apartment building, and several people had to be rescued.
It was about 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning when Brentwood EMS said a fire started in the 3300 block of Brownsville Road. Crews arrived and found people hanging out of windows.
The people who live inside said the smoke quickly spread through the building.
"It happened so fast and the smoke just engulfed our apartment," said Danyelle Kenepp, describing the situation in the building.
"All the smoke detectors in the building were going off, and there was smoke pouring in and around the seam of my front door," another resident told KDKA.
Danyelle Kenepp's boyfriend opened the door and the smoke was overwhelming.
They were trapped in their apartment.
"There was no way we could have got out our door. It was too much," she said.
Fire crews used ladders to rescued 12 people from the building, including Kenepp's 11-month-old baby.
"They had to get the baby out. They hand her in good hands until they got us out," she said while holding the baby.
Crews said eight people, including a couple of children, had to go to the hospital. They had no word on their conditions. One firefighter had to be taken for a medical issue.
The cause is under investigation by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal, but they know it started on a lower floor and worked its way up.
"Everybody did a great job and we didn't lose any lives. That's the most important thing," Brentwood EMS Deputy Chief John Balkovec said at the scene.
About 40-45 people live in the 36 apartments, and at least 30 people are now displaced. The Red Cross is working with them to get them accommodations.