A home in Westmoreland County was destroyed by a fire on Wednesday.
Crews were called to the home in New Kensington on Richdale Drive around 6 p.m. for reports of a fire. The fire chief, Ed Saliba, said the homeowner came home from work and saw smoke. The woman was taken to a local hospital for an evaluation.
“She quickly shut the door, which was a very good thing,” Saliba said. “But she fell down the steps. Luckily, she was able to get out.”
Firefighters arrived within minutes of the call, and they faced tough conditions outside the home.
“We had extreme smoke and heat conditions,” Saliba said.
However, getting inside was an even bigger challenge because of a hoarding situation. Pictures from the first floor of the house showed debris scattered all over.
“We could not open the front door more than 6 inches,” Saliba said. “We then took the line to the rear of the structure. We tried to gain entry, and it was the same thing. We were only able to gain maybe a foot.”
“We ended up taking the upper part of the door to try to put water on the fire,” he added. “Then our crews were able to get in the rear garage door.”
Eventually, the crews got the flames under control. The fire marshal was called to investigate. The fire chief believes the fire started somewhere in the basement.
“It’s a terrible time. It’s unfortunate for that lady. I hope she’s OK,” neighbor Jackson Guerrini said.
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