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Fire-Damaged Pittsburgh High-Rise Won't Reopen Until 2019

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PITTSBURGH (AP) - A downtown Pittsburgh high-rise building damaged by a fire that killed a woman and left dozens homeless won't be reopening until next year.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that property owner Beacon Communities has notified former residents of Midtown Towers that they should be able to return in fall 2019.

Chief executive officer Pamela Goodman said in a letter dated last Thursday that due to extensive smoke and water damage, the building interior "must be gutted entirely and rebuilt."

Fire investigators said they believe 75-year-old Mary Robinson was smoking in her sixth-floor unit before the early morning blaze May 15 that took her life. Three firefighters and two residents sustained minor injuries.

The new building will be equipped with fire sprinklers, something it lacked at the time of last year's fire.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This Material May Not Be Published, Broadcast, Rewritten Or Redistributed.)

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