Fire Destroys Neville Island Home, Cause Under Investigation

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NEVILLE ISLAND (KDKA) - A Neville Island home was destroyed by fire early Monday morning.

The initial call came in around 5 a.m. for a fire alarm in the 7200 block of Front River Road.

When firefighters first arrived on scene, flames were filling the inside of the garage. The flames shot up through the second and third floors of the house.

"I just heard the fire whistle go off and then I listened to the scanner and I looked out my window and could start seeing smoke," Stephanie Mazzocco, a neighbor, said.

A lot of smoke is what firefighters dealt with as they tackled hot spots.

"Whenever we got the call that it was a smoke alarm, I arrived on scene and encountered smoke in the garage and then it went into flames," Neville Island Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Thomas said.

Firefighters said the flames spread from the garage to the back of the home. Crews initially thought a man was trapped inside. However, he was on his back deck trying to get down.

"The policeman was actually looking for a ladder before the fire department arrived to get him down off of there, but he got himself down," Chief Thomas said.

The man's wife also made it out safely. A relative said the couple just got back from Florida this weekend.

Neighbors next door were evacuated as a precaution.

"The next thing I knew, the police were at the door and they were saying we had to evacuate right now," Bichri Lee said. "I had my dogs and I couldn't find a leash and they were rushing us out. I have a Rottweiler and a lab. I didn't want them to go crazy with all the people out here so I carried them both out to the car and just drove down and waited."

Eventually, Lee was able to go back inside his home, but his neighbors will have to stay elsewhere.

"It's just a shame all these fires," said Mazzocco.

The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire at this time.

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