Vandergrift Restaurant Goes Up In Flames, Spreads To Building Next Door
VANDERGRIFT (KDKA) -- An intense, multi-alarm fire erupted at a restaurant in Westmoreland County on Friday evening, and spread to the structure next door.
Crews were first called to Carpenter's Café around 7:20 p.m. in the 200-block of Longfellow Street in Vandergrift. Witnesses say flames were shooting high into the sky.
The blaze spread to the building next door. Both structures were heavily damaged.
"It was really horrible, it was totally in flames. It was engulfed," said Denise Fulton, a witness.
Firefighters remained on the scene late into the night, trying to keep it from spreading to a third structure. The man who lives in that home was evacuated.
According to witnesses, the café was open earlier in the day, but closed around 6:30 p.m.
There's no word yet on what sparked the fire, but witnesses said renovations were ongoing at the back of the building to add apartments and it may have started there.
One firefighter injured his ankle while fighting the fire.
Fire departments from several counties responded to the blaze, including Westmoreland, Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Indiana.
Early on, crews had to deal with a water pressure problem and had to bring in tankers to help fight the flames.
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