Home A Complete Loss After Overnight Fire In Connellsville
CONNELLSVILLE (KDKA) -- Fire destroyed a home in Fayette County overnight.
The home at 213 Ogden Street in Connellsville was destroyed by fire overnight and the family living there narrowly escaped the flames.
This isn't the first time the man of the house has had a close call with death.
"Me and my wife were in the living room. We had four kids up stairs – 11, 8, 7 and 5," fire victim Brian Upton said.
But within seconds, Upton and wife of seven years, Ida, found themselves facing something horrific.
"We was watching TV and smelt the smoke and said something's not right," Brian said.
Their century-old family home was on fire. Ida went outside, but Brian - who lost his leg years ago - went to save the couple's kids.
"It was… it was tough," said Brian. "Whenever I got three quarters up the steps, I couldn't handle the smoke and I just started freaking out. I started screaming at the kids, 'Get out! The house was on fire.'"
Gasping for breath, Brian saw four figures emerge from the smoke down the stairs to safety.
"Thank God they all got up and ran like we taught them to do," said Brian.
Firefighters were able to get the flames under control by 2:15 a.m.
It's an amazing story of survival and luck, but not Brian's first.
"Actually two years ago, I had a building collapse on me down on Pittsburgh Street," he said. "I need to slow down, I might be running out of lives."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
And all joking aside, the Upton's face a difficult road ahead.
"No insurance, no nothing," said Upton. "But I got my wife and kids, that's the most important. Anything in this world can be replaced, family is all you got.
With very little left the Uptons will be with relatives.
The Red Cross is helping as well.
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