1 Dead, Several Injured In Dormont Fire

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DORMONT (KDKA) -- One person was killed and several were injured in a house fire in Dormont early Saturday morning.

Authorities responded to the fire in the 1100 block of Peermont Avenue around 4 a.m.

Four people were inside the home when the fire started.

"There was a heavy volume of fire, especially in the rear of the residence and the sides of the residence," Dormont fire chief Mat Davis said. "It affected both exposure houses. We were actually battling one big fire and two small fires with it."

Calvin Blake's house is only a few feet away. He was awakened by the brightness of the flames and could feel the heat through the window.

"Looking out, I could see the flames coming right out of one of their windows, right at our house," Blake said. "It was pretty intense."

Once Blake got his wife and their pets out of the house, they saw their neighbor make a gallant attempt to save his family.

"Could have been the most desperate thing I've ever seen was him running in, a wall of black smoke coming at him as he's running in trying to make sure his son got out of the house," Blake said.

"The father turned into a superhero in his underwear, ran inside to grab his kids, tried to grab… it was astounding, in his bare feet," Michelle Blake said.

Sadly, they could not save an elderly woman who was under a nurse's care. Her body was found on the first floor.

Neighbors and firefighters say the smoke and flames were so intense, you could feel the heat a block away. Neighbors are praising firefighters for preventing the fire from destroying their home.

"[They] saved our house. Support your volunteer fire department. I'm so grateful. So grateful," Michelle Blake said.

There were also two minor firefighter injuries.

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating.