Sky 4 over scene as rescue efforts unfold in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood
GREENFIELD ROAD IN THE CITY’S GREENFIELD NEIGHBORHOOD. IT APPEARS THAT BUILDING MAY POSSIBLY BE ON FIRE AS WELL. WE ARE SEEING SOME SMOKE RIGHT ALONG WITH YOU. WE DO HAVE SAM HALL UP IN SKY FOUR. SAM, YOU’VE BEEN THERE FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES. WHAT IS YOUR READ ON THE SITUATION HERE? YES, I THINK WE ARE SEEING A VERY DRAMATIC RESCUE RIGHT HERE, RIGHT THIS MINUTE. AGAIN, THIS IS THE 100 BLOCK OF GREENFIELD AVENUE OVER IN GREENFIELD. IT’S AFFECTING SECOND AVENUE AS WELL. BUT I BELIEVE THE MAN IN THE RED JACKET WAS TRAPPED BY A WIRE OR POWER WIRE THAT HAD COME DOWN ON THE HOME. HE WAS WORKING ON, ON SOME SCAFFOLDING. NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT. YES, INDEED. THAT POWER WIRE SEEMS TO HAVE IGNITED THE FIRE. FIRST RESPONDERS ARE INSIDE THE BUILDING. YOU DO SEE WATER COMING, SPLASHING OUT. SO THEY ARE FIGHTING THE FIRE NOW FROM THE INSIDE. WE FIRST ARRIVED. IT APPEARED THE FIRE WAS KIND OF JUST KIND OF BEING ALLOWED TO GROW UNTIL THEY MADE THE RESCUE. BUT RIGHT NOW YOU CAN SEE HIM GETTING SOME ASSISTANCE FROM THE FIRST RESPONDERS, TRYING TO GET HIM DOWN THE LADDER AND GET HIM ONTO THE GROUND SAFELY. THERE’S AN AMBULANCE ON SCENE. AGAIN, CREWS REMAIN HERE. THIS IS BLOCKING GREENFIELD AVENUE, IRVINE STREET, SECOND AVENUE AND REALLY KIND OF TYING UP THAT WHOLE ENTIRE INSECT INTERSECTION DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF GREENFIELD AVENUE. BUT YES, VERY DRAMATIC STUFF. AND AGAIN, IT LOOKS LIKE THE FIRE, AT LEAST FOR THE MOMENT, HAS BEEN KNOCKED BACK ON THE INSIDE. BUT AGAIN, FIRST RESPONDERS ON THIS LADDER TRUCK LOWERING THIS MAN DOWN TO THE ROAD. AT THE SAME TIME, THEY’RE KIND OF BRINGING THAT LADDER DOWN AS WELL. SO HE’S NOT SO HIGH OFF THE GROUND. YOU CAN SEE THOSE LADDERS THAT ARE LEANED UP AGAINST THAT HOUSE. AND THEY HAD SCAFFOLDING WORKING FROM LADDER TO LADDER THERE THAT YOU CAN SEE WORKING ACROSS THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. AND THAT’S WHERE THE PROBLEM FIRST STARTED. BUT RIGHT NOW IT DOES LOOK ON TRACK FOR A DRAMATIC RESCUE OF DRAMATIC SAM, OBVIOUSLY VERY DANGEROUS AS WELL. ONCE YOU TAKE THIS BACK FOR A MOMENT, SAM, THAT GENTLEMAN IN THE RED JACKET, HE WAS TRAPPED WHERE THERE WERE SOME WIRES. I THINK YOU MENTIONED A BIT EARLIER THAT HE WAS ENTANGLED IN. YES. THAT WAS THE INITIAL REPORT, ANDREW, THAT HE WAS ON THE SCAFFOLDING. AND THEN WAS EITHER TOO AFRAID OR TOO INJURED TO LEAVE THE SCAFFOLDING BECAUSE SOME LIVE POWER WIRE HAD FALLEN DOWN ON HIM. WE JUST SEE SOME OBJECTS FALLING OFF OF THE OUT OF THE WINDOWS. THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE INSIDE THE BUILDING. BUT YES, THE INITIAL REPORT WAS MAN TRAPPED ON SCAFFOLDING BY A LIVE POWER WIRE. NOW, CLEARLY THEY’VE GOTTEN UP THERE. I DON’T KNOW IF THE POWER IS COMPLETELY OUT. UTILITY CREWS ARE HERE, BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’VE GOT THAT POWER OFF ALL THE WAY. BUT AGAIN, THEY HAVE GOTTEN HIM OFF THE SCAFFOLDING AND YOU CAN SEE HIM KIND OF TRYING TO HELP SCOOCH HIM DOWN. AND NOW THEY’VE GOT A BACKBOARD UP THERE ON THE LADDER TRUCK THAT THEY’RE GOING TO TRY TO LOAD HIM INTO, AND THEN THEY’LL BE ABLE TO MUCH, I THINK, MORE EASILY GET HIM DOWN THE LADDER AND ONTO THE GROUND AGAIN. MEDICS ARE WAITING DOWN ON GREENFIELD AVENUE THERE. WOW, SAM, THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE. CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY. WE’RE HOPING FOR THE BEST FOR THIS PERSON THAT WAS JUST TAKEN DOWN. YOU MENTIONED WE COULD SEE IT IN ONE OF THE ANGLES OF YOUR SHOT. THERE. ITEMS BEING THROWN FROM THE WINDOW OF THE HOME. SO IT APPEARS THAT FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL INSIDE WORKING ON THAT FIRE. IS THAT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO YOU? YES, I PAN UP. YOU COULD SEE THEM IN THE VERY TIPPY TOP OF THAT BUILDING. THREE STORIES AND YOU CAN SEE THEM RIGHT UP THERE. THEY’VE BUSTED OUT. ACTUALLY, IT LOOKS LIKE AN ENTIRE WALL THERE. AND THEY ARE THROWING ITEMS OUT SO THEY CAN CONTINUE TO FIGHT THAT FIRE AS NOW THEY DO HAVE THE BACKBOARD UNDERNEATH. THE MAN WHO WAS TRAPPED ON THAT SCAFFOLDING. AND THEY’RE KIND OF SLIDING DOWN THIS LADDER. FIREFIGHTERS AGAIN, WORKING THIS, IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA, THIS IS THE VERY BEGINNING OF A VERY STEEP HILL AS WELL AS YOU GO UP GREENFIELD AVENUE. SO NOT ONLY IS THE HOUSE AND THE SCAFFOLDING VERY HIGH IN THE SKY, BUT THEN THAT HILL WHERE THE FIRE TRUCK IS, THAT’S GOING DOWN EVEN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER TO MAKE IT AN EVEN MORE PROBLEMATIC RESCUE. BUT SO FAR, SO GOOD. ANDREW AND KELLY. YES, AND OF COURSE, YOU ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE WEATHER TODAY. I MEAN, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT 90 DEGREES TO THE HEAT AS WELL AS THAT FIRE IN THOSE FLAMES INSIDE THAT BUILDING. YES. AND THE OTHER THING IS WE’RE FLYING AROUND IN SKY 4 HERE FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR, 45 MINUTES. IT’S VERY, VERY GUSTY, ESPECIALLY UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE. SO THE WINDS ARE VERY HIGH AS WELL. I’M SURE THAT DIDN’T HELP AND MAY HAVE BEEN A PART OF WHAT INITIALLY GOT THAT LIVE POWER LINE WIRE DOWN ONTO THE SCAFFOLDING AND TRAPPED THEM IN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND WHAT ANOTHER EXAMPLE DO YOU KNOW THAT WE SEE SO MANY TIMES IN THESE UNFORTUNATE SITUATIONS? JUST THE HEROICS ON DISPLAY. YOU SEE THESE FIREFIGHTERS IN THEIR FULL GEAR ON THIS 90 DEGREE DAY, YOU KNOW, GOING UP THAT LADDER WITH THOSE POWER LINES. YOU KNOW, SAM MENTIONED THE UTILITY COMPANY IS THERE. YOU KNOW, WE’RE HOPING OBVIOUSLY THEY DEACTIVATED THOSE LINES. BUT I MEAN, THESE THESE CREWS ARE OUT THERE TO SAVE A LIFE. AND THEY, THEY GOT THIS PERSON DOWN. AND ALSO LOOK AT THE REMARKABLE TEAMWORK ONLINE. IT REALLY IS A TEAM EFFORT TO GET THIS GENTLEMAN DOWN THERE. MULTIPLE CREWS RIGHT THERE ON SCENE ON THAT LADDER, TRYING TO GET HIM DOWN AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE, ALL WHILE THEY’RE STILL BATTLING THIS FIRE GOING ON INSIDE THAT BUILDING. IT’S A IT’S A REMARKABLE OPERATION. SO KUDOS TO THEM AND THE WORK THEY’RE DOING IN VERY DANGEROUS AND VER
Sky 4 over scene as rescue efforts unfold in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood
Updated: 5:04 PM EDT May 18, 2026
Multiple responders are on the scene after a person reportedly became stuck on a building’s scaffolding in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood Monday afternoon. Sky 4, Pittsburgh’s only news chopper, was over the scene along Greenfield Avenue, where officials appeared to be working to rescue one person from the top of the building. It also appeared the building had caught fire as crews worked to rescue the individual. No additional information has been released. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 is working to learn more about the incident. This is a developing story. Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH —
Multiple responders are on the scene after a person reportedly became stuck on a building’s scaffolding in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood Monday afternoon.
Sky 4, Pittsburgh’s only news chopper, was over the scene along Greenfield Avenue, where officials appeared to be working to rescue one person from the top of the building.
It also appeared the building had caught fire as crews worked to rescue the individual.
No additional information has been released.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 is working to learn more about the incident.
This is a developing story.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.