McKEESPORT (KDKA) — A fire caused extensive damage to a home in McKeeport Saturday evening.

The blaze broke out just before 6 p.m. in the 1900-block of Craig Street. Firefighters say at one point flames could be seen shooting 20 to 30 feet in the air.

Homeowner Robbie Wojtaszek says it was just 10 minutes after his son ran up to his bedroom to turn on an air conditioning unit when the problems started.

“I [came] flying up here and saw the smoke there, didn’t see any fire at that point so I went to go up to the house,” he said.

Firefighters say it was a neighbor who first saw the flames and called 911.

“I looked down here and I saw black smoke, and I told my wife we [have to] call 911, something’s wrong,” said Jim Black, a neighbor.

When they got there, fire crews had their work cut out for them.

“When we got to the scene, the fire was going really good,” said Chief Ed Harmon, of the McKeesport Fire Department. “We had flames 20 to 30 feet over the roofline of this front of the house where it’s burnt out here.”

The damage to the second floor was extensive, and fire crews say there was also water damage to the home.

The fire marshal was also called to the scene to investigate the cause.

Meanwhile, Wojtaszek says he’s just thankful no one was hurt.

“Thank God everybody’s safe, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “Thank you to McKeesport Services; they’ve been great.”

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