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Cause Of Wilkinsburg House Fire Under Investigation

WILKINSBURG (KDKA) – A home in Wilkinsburg was damaged by an early Monday morning fire.

According to officials at the scene, the fire started at a home in the 700-block of Ardmore Boulevard around 6:30 a.m.

A neighbor smelled the smoke and called 911.

"I [saw] the smoke seeping into our home. I didn't see if there was any fire in our house and I ran down the street and [saw] the smoke was coming from a couple doors down," Britney Gibson said.

Firefighters rushed into the house unsure at first where the fire started.

"We found heavy fire on the first floor. It turns out the fire was in the basement and ran the walls, all the way up to the roof," Pittsburgh Fire Bureau Battalion Chief Dan Herr said.

Initially, fire officials thought the home was abandoned, but it was later learned that the woman who owns the home doesn't live there full-time.

No one was inside at the time of the fire. As crews were working through the house to put out the flames, there were a few scary minutes when firefighters were told to get out.

"For a short time, we pulled everyone out of the basement. The first floor was getting a little weak. Had a couple of spots where the floor gave way," Herr said.

Part of Ardmore Boulevard was closed for a portion of the morning. As a result, traffic backed up on Ardmore Boulevard and on the Wilkinsburg exit ramp from the Parkway East.

All of the utilities were still active at the house. While fire marshals believe the fire started in the basement, the cause is still under investigation.

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