3 people, 2 dogs escape after home catches fire in Westmoreland County
NOW ON PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS IS TRYING TO FILL THIS SPACE. SAYS IT’S TAKEN MORE THAN A YEAR TO GET CITY PERMITS. WHY? PITTSBURGH’S MAYOR SAYS THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE. WE SPENT TODAY DRIVING THROUGH THE AREA, FINDING GAS PRICES. WE’LL SHOW YOU WHERE WE FOUND THE HIGHEST AND THE LOWEST. BUSINESS OWNERS ALONG PENN AVENUE AND GARFIELD ARE HOLDING THEIR BREATH AS MAJOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION BEGINS. THEY TELL US WHY A HOTEL ROOM OR RENT A HOME FOR THE NFL DRAFT. WELL, YOU HAVE A LITTLE OVER A MONTH TO DECIDE. BUT WHAT I WILL TELL YOU COMING UP IS JUST HOW MUCH YOU’RE LOOKING AT SPENDING. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR AT SEVEN STARTS NOW, 7:00 AT THE TIME. WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US. WHAT A DAY IT WAS HERE IN PITTSBURGH. STILL CONTINUING AS WE BEGIN WITH PITTSBURGH’S ACTION. WEATHER. SUN SETTING ON WHAT WAS JUST A GORGEOUS DAY ACROSS THE AREA. SAW THE SUN WARM, COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURES AS WELL. WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE TONIGHT ON COZI TV. I’M RYAN RECKER CHIEF METEOROLOGIST MIKE HARVEY HERE AS WELL. MIKE. TOO BAD WE CAN’T JUST KIND OF BOTTLE THAT UP BECAUSE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE CHANGING HERE SOON. SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY. BLUE SKIES ALL DAY LONG. COULD NOT FIND A CLOUD OUT THERE. AND NOW WE HAVE JUST A GORGEOUS SUNSET OCCURRING RIGHT NOW. AS THE SUN STARTS TO GO BELOW THE HORIZON AND IT’S GOING TO BE CLEAR SKIES AS WE HEAD INTO TONIGHT. NOW, TOMORROW WE’LL HAVE SOME CLOUDS THAT WILL BUILD UP AS WE GO THROUGH THE DAY. GOING TO BE ANOTHER WARM DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 70S, AND IT WILL BE A LITTLE BREEZY OUT THERE, WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO AROUND 20MPH, SO 72 FOR A HIGH IN PITTSBURGH, GREENSBURG BEAVER, 71, IN NEWCASTLE, 70 IN INDIANA FOR YOUR HIGH FOR TOMORROW, WE’LL START WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. CLOUDS WILL FILTER IN AS WE GO THROUGH THE DAY, AND THAT WILL EVENTUALLY WILL LEAD US TO WEDNESDAY, WHERE WE WILL HAVE STORMS THAT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. SEVERE WEATHER ALERT DAY ON WEDNESDAY FOR THE STORMS. THE PRIMARY THREAT DAMAGING WINDS, DOWNPOURS AND LIGHTNING, HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND LIGHTNING AND CAN’T RULE OUT HAIL OR TORNADO ON WEDNESDAY. SO IT IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH DAY OUT THERE ON WEDNESDAY. AS FAR AS TUESDAY, HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 72. CLOUDS INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY. COULD HAVE A STRAY SHOWER HERE OR THERE, BUT ALMOST ALL LOCATIONS ON TUESDAY GOING TO BE DRY. AND THEN OUR SEVERE WEATHER ALERT DAY ON WEDNESDAY. ALL RIGHT, MIKE. MEANWHILE, GAS PRICES JUMPED AGAIN TODAY. THE PRICE OF CRUDE OIL ROSE TO OVER $120 A BARREL AT ONE STAGE TODAY. THEY SINCE LOWERED. FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE HERE, PRIOR TO THE INITIAL STRIKES IN IRAN, IT WAS JUST $67 A BARREL. GAS PRICES UP $0.51 ACROSS THE PITTSBURGH AREA IN JUST THE LAST WEEK. AND TONIGHT, FOR YOUR MONEY, REPORTER MARCY CIPRIANI SPENT THE DAY SEARCHING FOR THE CHEAPEST PRICES ACROSS THE AREA. WE SPENT THE DAY GOING FROM NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD, CHECKING ON GAS PRICES TO SEE WHERE WE COULD FIND THE BEST DEALS. THIS IS THE SHEETZ HERE IN WILKINS TOWNSHIP. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS 3.79 A GALLON, BUT WE FOUND PRICES THAT DIFFERED BY MORE THAN $0.70 A GALLON. I’M PRETTY UPSET ABOUT IT. ON NEARLY EVERY CORNER, IT’S JUST GETTING OUTRAGEOUS. IN JUST ABOUT EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. THE NUMBERS ARE CLIMBING. IT’S IMPACTING EVERYONE AROUND, SO THERE’S NO GETTING AWAY FROM IT. SO DRIVERS SAY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY AROUND IT. I LOOK FOR DIFFERENT PRICES. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, USE THEIR GAS PRICES, TRY TO CHEAPEST PRICE THAT WAY YOU KNOW SEE WHICH ONE HAS THE CHEAPEST ONE. THAT’S WHERE I’M GOING. HA. THE CHEAPEST PARK WE FOUND GAS AT BJ’S IN ROSS TOWNSHIP AT 317 A GALLON FOR ITS MEMBERS, OR 302 FOR MEMBERS USING A BJ’S CREDIT CARD. AND DRIVERS LINED UP FOR THOSE PRICES. WE FOUND GIANT EAGLES ADVANTAGE PAY AT 349 A GALLON WITHOUT ADVANTAGE PAY. THE PRICE IS 379, BUT THAT TWO COULD COME DOWN WITH DISCOUNTS. I JUST USE MY PERKS THAT I GET FROM SHOPPING AT GIANT EAGLE. I’M ALWAYS IN THE STORE WITHOUT PERKS. WE FOUND THIS CITGO IN GREENSBURG AT 335 A GALLON. THIS EXXON IN CHURCHILL AT 349, AND THIS MARATHON IN MCCANDLESS AT 359, THE HIGHEST WE SPOTTED IN OUR TRAVELS WAS THIS BP ON FOX CHAPEL ROAD AT 389. AND WHILE MOST WE SPOKE TO WEREN’T HAPPY. WE’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO EAT FOR A WHILE TO GET IT BACK DOWN AGAIN. THERE’S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND WE DID FIND SOME WHO SAY THEY ARE HOPEFUL AND PATIENT. THERE’S AN ISSUE OVER IN IRAN THAT HAS TO BE RECTIFIED, AND ONCE IT’S RECTIFIED, THEN I THINK THEY’LL GO BACK TO THE NORMAL PRICING. BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE TO SPEND THE MONEY WHILE WE SHOWED YOU PRICES. WE FOUND RANGING FROM 317 TO 385 A GALLON. THOSE PRICES WILL LIKELY CHANGE QUICKLY. COVERING ALLEGHENY COUNTY FROM WILKINS TOWNSHIP MARCIE CIPRIANI PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. OKAY, LET’S CHECK WALL STREET NOW. FROM A STEEP LOSS TO A SOLID GAIN TODAY. STOCKS CLOSED HIGHER THIS AFTERNOON AFTER A SIGNAL FROM PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP THAT THE CONFLICT THERE IN IRAN COULD BE COMING TO AN END. ELSEWHERE SKY 4 OVER MURRYSVILLE, WESTMORELAND COUNTY, THIS AFTERNOON. AND THIS IS DAMAGE LEFT BEHIND AFTER A FIRE AT THE 380 AUCTION HOUSE. FLAMES EXTENDED TO MULTIPLE BUILDINGS THERE. WE KNOW AT LEAST THREE OF THOSE BUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED. THIS VENUE HOUSES GREENHOUSES AND POPULAR NURSERY AND PRODUCE BUSINESSES AS WELL. THE FIRE WAS MOSTLY IN THE GREENHOUSE AREA. NO ONE WAS THERE AT THE TIME. PITTSBURGH MAYOR COREY O’CONNOR IS MAKING IT EASIER FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION IN THE CITY. TODAY, THE CITY ANNOUNCED CHANGES TO SOME OF THEIR PERMITTING RULES, HOPING TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR DEVELOPERS TO BUILD FASTER. REPORTER PAUL VAN OSDOL HAS THAT STORY. WE SPOKE WITH CHANTAL GREEN, WHO’S TRIED TO OPEN A RESTAURANT IN THIS SPACE ON NORTH HOMEWOOD AVENUE. NOW, THE MAYOR POINTS OUT THAT IN NEW YORK CITY, THEY APPROVED PERMITS IN LESS THAN FIVE WEEKS. BUT IT’S TAKEN CHANTAL MORE THAN A YEAR, AND SHE’S STILL NOT DONE. I NEED TO OPEN BEFORE THE DRAFT. I BETTER OPEN BEFORE THE DRAFT. OKAY. CHANTAL GREEN IS BATTLING TIME, AND THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF PERMITS, LICENSING AND INSPECTIONS TO OPEN HER RESTAURANT ON TIME. THE PERMITTING PIPELINE WAS CLOGGED UNTIL SHE MET WITH MAYOR COREY O’CONNOR SHORTLY AFTER HIS INAUGURATION. THE MAYOR SAYS HE WANTS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR CHANTAL AND OTHER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND HOME OWNERS TO OPEN BUSINESSES OR DO HOME RENOVATIONS. THAT MEANS BETTER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CITY AGENCIES AND MORE TRANSPARENCY FOR THE PUBLIC. WE HAVE TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO FIX UP THEIR HOUSES. COMMUNITY GROUPS TO REDEVELOP HOUSING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TO OPEN UP STOREFRONTS. THE MAYOR SAYS SOME OF THESE PERMITTING REFORMS CAN BE DONE QUICKLY, BUT OTHERS, LIKE MAJOR CHANGES TO THE CITY’S ZONING RULES, WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER AND WILL REQUIRE INPUT FROM CITY COUNCIL COVERING ALLEGHENY COUNTY FROM HOMEWOOD PAUL VAN OSDOL. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. A MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT GOT UNDERWAY TODAY. CAMPBELL’S RUN ROAD AND ROBINSON AND COLLIER TOWNSHIPS WERE TALKING ABOUT 1.6 MILES OF ROAD WILL BE WIDENED AND REBUILT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. IT’S GOING TO BE, WHAT, 4 OR 5 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION AND CONVENIENCE JUST TO JUST SO THEY CAN MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE CONVENIENT BECAUSE WE HAVE NO PROBLEMS ON US ROAD. I MEAN, IT’S BUSY, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE GET TO WORK DURING THE FIRST YEAR. THERE WILL BE PERIODIC LANE CLOSURES AND UTILITY WORK. AND AGAIN, THAT PROJECT WILL LAST UNTIL 2031. PLUS A BUSY CORRIDOR ON PENN AVENUE IN BLOOMFIELD AND GARFIELD IS GETTING UPGRADES THAT WILL RUN THROUGH NEXT YEAR. REPORTER SHELDON INGRAM SHOWS US WHAT DRIVERS AND BUSINESSES ARE DOING TO COMBAT THE CONSTRUCTION. WITH THE PENN AVENUE PHASE TWO STREETSCAPE PROJECT IS COMPLETE. THIS AREA HERE WILL HAVE NEW SIDEWALKS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND A LOT MORE. HOWEVER, BUSINESS OWNERS ARE BRACING FOR SOME HARDSHIPS BECAUSE THEY EXPECT TO LOSE SOME CUSTOMERS DURING CONSTRUCTION. CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES ARE MOVING IN PIECES OF UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE ARE STACKED AND READY, AND OMINOUS GANG OF TRAFFIC BARRIERS ARE ON STANDBY. CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT BUSINESSES LIKE THE SOFT SPOT COFFEE SHOP FROM OPEN ROAD. NONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND THIRD SPACE BAKERY. BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT PEOPLE WILL STOP COMING AS FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF THE INCONVENIENCE AND THE SOFT SPOT COFFEE SHOP HAS BEEN OPEN FOR ONLY TWO WEEKS. THERE’S STILL A GENERAL SENSE OF UNEASE IN THE COMMUNITY OF DO I WANT TO TRAVEL TO PENN? I HEARD THAT THEY’RE DOING CONSTRUCTION DOWN THERE. HERE’S THE PLAN FOR PENN AVENUE PHASE TWO STREETSCAPE PROJECT. IT’S A FULL SCALE RECONSTRUCTION OF ALL STREET INFRASTRUCTURE THAT INCLUDES STREET CURB, SIDEWALK, TRAFFIC SIGNALS, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, AND RAMPS THAT COMPLY WITH THE AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT. IT’S THIS COMBINATION OF BEING AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO DO SO MUCH GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE WANT TO BE IN OUR SPACE, AND ALSO THIS ANXIETY AND THIS FEAR. WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO. STILL REACH OUT AND BRING THOSE NEW CUSTOMERS IN, AND ALSO LET OUR OLDER CUSTOMERS KNOW THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, THROUGH OUR WEBSITE. YOU KNOW WHAT THE ACCESSIBILITY IS LOOKING LIKE AT ANY GIVEN TIME. CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PENN AVENUE. PHASE TWO STREETSCAPE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO RUN UNTIL THE FALL OF 2027. COVERING ALLEGHE
3 people, 2 dogs escape after home catches fire in Westmoreland County
Updated: 10:44 PM EDT Mar 9, 2026
Multiple fire departments were called to a home Monday night in Hempfield Township after a fire broke out inside. VIDEO: Top stories on Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Hempfield Township Deputy Fire Chief Ben Ross told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that officials were called to a home along Baughman Avenue following reports of flames. Ross said three adults and two dogs occupied the home, and all were able to make it out before officials arrived. No injuries were reported. He said the home sustained moderate damage as a result of the fire. An investigation is now underway. Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Multiple fire departments were called to a home Monday night in Hempfield Township after a fire broke out inside.
VIDEO: Top stories on Pittsburgh’s Action News 4
Hempfield Township Deputy Fire Chief Ben Ross told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that officials were called to a home along Baughman Avenue following reports of flames.
Ross said three adults and two dogs occupied the home, and all were able to make it out before officials arrived. No injuries were reported.
He said the home sustained moderate damage as a result of the fire.
An investigation is now underway.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.