Woman smoking on oxygen starts fire in Beechview
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Firefighters said a woman's oxygen tank ignited while she was smoking, starting a fire in Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood.
The fire destroyed the duplex on Pauline Avenue on Wednesday.
Video from the scene showed bright flames pouring from the home.
Firefighters said a woman was smoking while on oxygen when the fire started.
"It's just never a good mixture. I mean, you really shouldn't be smoking while on oxygen. If you feel the need, you need to separate yourself from the device itself. I've had a lot of fatalities from situations like that," said fire investigator Tom Huerbin.
The stone structure was home to three people upstairs and a woman downstairs. Investigators said the fire erupted on the first floor.
A passerby helped the woman escape the flames and smoke.
"She went out with the assistance of a city public works worker who was driving by and assisted her out of the house," Huerbin said.
The home's all-stone construction turned the building into an oven for those trying to kill the flames.
"Actually it was a very hot fire when we went in it. One firefighter had a slightly burned hand," Huerbin said.
That firefighter was treated at the scene and is going to be OK. Officials said the woman rescued from the first floor was taken to Mercy Hospital and treated for mild smoke inhalation.
As for the people living there, they're being taken care of by the Red Cross.
