Watch CBS News

Munhall Apartment Building Fire Leaves 1 Dead, 7 Injured

MUNHALL (KDKA) - One person was killed and seven people were taken to the hospital after an apartment building fire in Munhall Friday morning.

According to officials at the scene, the fire broke out around 5 a.m. at the Parkview Towers in the 100 block of Caroline Street.

"I got out of the bed, opened the door, looked down the hallway, and it was just clouded with smoke," Paul Robb said. "It was thickening and it was getting more difficult to breathe."

It's believed to have started in an apartment on the seventh floor.

"I look out and I see all the flames coming out of the front window and then, I saw the smoke detectors going off and I said, 'Oh my, there's a fire,'" Fran Doyle said.

Doyle's son helped her get out of the building.

The man who died has been identified as 61-year-old Richard Miller.

Seven other people were taken to the hospital.

"Most of those injuries were smoke related injuries that you would expect in a fire of this type. Being up on the upper floors, we had to bring them down the stairwell," Munhall Fire Chief Ed Pletsch said.

Firefighters were having some difficulties with hydrants in the area. Two hydrants froze, which resulted in tankers being brought in from Westmoreland County.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

The Munhall fire chief says about 90 people, most of them seniors, live in the building.

After waiting in a first floor activity room in the building, a lot of the residents were taken to the Messiah Lutheran Church, which served as a temporary shelter.

Firefighters say because of the damage, no one can live in the apartment building right now.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.