Ambridge Apartment Building Fire Injures 12
AMBRIDGE (KDKA) – Several residents and firefighters were injured in an early Tuesday morning fire in Beaver County.
According to officials at the scene, the fire broke out at an apartment building in the 300-block of 4th Street around 12:40 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, they found people had broken windows and were hanging out of them to try and escape.
A husband and wife were trapped inside their apartment due to the heavy smoke. The man had to be carried out and the woman was unconscious.
"They were trapped in their apartment with the smoke. One was conscious, but needed to be carried out. The other female was unconscious," Ambridge Fire Chief Chief David Drewnowski said.
Both were taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital and their conditions are unknown.
Three firefighters were taken to Sewickley Valley Hospital for heat exhaustion. All have been released.
Seven other residents were taken to Sewickley Valley Hospital with unknown injuries.
"If my neighbor hadn't woken me up, we would have been dead. She saved our lives because the fire alarm didn't do [anything]," Karen Owens said.
The Ambridge fire chief said the smoke alarms were not going off when they were inside. The fire alarms were in working order, but the intense heat was causing them to melt.
While the cause of the fire is unknown, it is believed that a candle on the third floor may have caused it.
"We went up to the third floor to see who was still up there, you couldn't see anything. All you could see [were]shadows," Michael Wise said.
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