Downed Power Lines Spark Fires After North Side Home Partially Collapses
NORTH SIDE (KDKA) -- Firefighters were called to Pittsburgh's North Side after wires started sparking while crews were demolishing a building Friday afternoon.
According to the Department of Public Safety, police and firefighters were sent to West Jefferson Street near Garfield Avenue around 3 p.m. for a report of a partial home collapse.
Crews were doing planned work on the property at the time.
"As he was taking down the side, the more and more he got taken down, the front of the house came loose and was resting on the front wires there," neighbor Deborah Smallwood said.
Smallwood was watching from her window as a contractor tore down the apartment building.
"Right in the center, the second floor, the main beam there, he started pushing that down and as soon as he pushed that down, the whole house blew out," she said.
Neighbors watched as the building collapsed, bringing down telephone poles and powerlines that sent sparks up and down their street.
The downed lines sparked fires at two homes on Armandale Street.
"Power went out. We came outside and our neighbor's house was on fire," neighbor Maria Searcey said.
Crews were able to quickly get the fire out before it spread.
No one was injured.
Some neighbors say they're fed up with the city and they want notification of any construction projects or demolitions happening in their neighborhood.
"It's just really ridiculous. The city needs to do something better about notifying neighbors or residents that this kind of stuff is going on," Smallwood said. "The whole street should've been closed because if someone would have been driving down there, they would have got killed."
Power has been restored to all of the impacted residents, and officials are looking into the cause of the collapse and the fires.
