Fire Breaks Out In Building Owned By UPMC
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A two-alarm fire erupted in the basement of a 9-story building, recently renovated and purchased by UPMC.
The building straddles the Shadyside-Bloomfield neighborhood, between Centre Avenue and Baum Boulevard.
"From what our understanding is Duquesne Light was doing some work in the basement. They were making some sort of a line switch and they had some sort of an explosion," Battalion Chief Gary Walz, of the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau told KDKA–TV.
"Duquesne Light representatives saw some fire, exited the structure."
Walz said traffic had to be re-routed in the area near Shadyside Hospital because fire equipment remained on the scene for several hours as the building was vented.
City Arson Investigator Mike Burns says the fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.
There were no injuries reported and no nearby buildings had to be evacuated.
Investigators determined the fire was started by a malfunction in an electrical panel box – similar to a mini-substation – but they don't know why it happened.
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