No One Injured, Dog Killed In Elizabeth Township Apartment Building Fire
By: Amy Wadas and Jessica Guay/KDKA-TV News
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - No one was injured but a dog was killed when flames broke out at an apartment building in Elizabeth Township.
Dispatchers said crews were called for a two-alarm fire at the Virginia Manor Apartments on Virginia Avenue just before 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Elizabeth Township deputy fire chief said the fire started in a second-floor unit.
The couple who lives in the unit that caught fire wasn't home when the fire broke out, but their two dogs were. The husband said he and his wife were out fishing. He said when he opened the door to their apartment when they got home, flames shot out at them. He said their one dog ran out, but the other one was nowhere to be found and died in the fire. He said his wife is having a really hard time with the loss.
Dozens of people were standing around the building watching firefighters put out the flames. The deputy fire chief said everyone was already out of the building when they got to the scene. He said his team managed to stop the fire from spreading.
One resident said it's sad but he's grateful to still be alive.
"It's unfortunate. I do know someone who was on the top, they don't have renters' insurance, so they're gonna try to figure out what to do now. I'm just lucky that I'm good. God is taking care of me," said Albright Uba.
WATCH: Jessica Guay reports
Another resident, Katana Cole, made a quick decision when she saw the flames shooting out of her apartment building.
"Realizing that it's a big fire, like something is really is going on, just snapped, and had to go upstairs and get my kids and get in the car," Cole said. "We had to get out of there."
The Red Cross is helping families who'll need a place to stay. The spokesperson for the Red Cross confirmed they're assisting residents from six units.
The Allegheny County fire marshal is trying to figure out what started the fire.