Two Residents Of Brittany Apartments In Wilkinsburg Treated For Smoke Inhalation Following Fire

WILKINSBURG (KDKA) -- Two people were overcome by smoke when an apartment building in Wilkinsburg caught fire this afternoon.

Some of the residents are shaken up following the fire.

The Brittany Apartments on Penn Avenue caught fire around 1:45 p.m. on the eighth floor of the complex and burned for about 15 minutes.

Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Fire Chief Ed Farley said it could have been a lot worse.

When firefighters arrived, it didn't take them long to get the fire under control but they are working to figure out what caused the blaze.

"Right now, county arson is coming out to look over the situation," Chief Farley said. "Where the fire did start, where it originated, we don't know that right now. They will bring the dogs to see if it's something suspicious."

Around 200 people live inside the complex and everyone was able to get out safely. One couple that lives a couple of doors down from where the fire started described the frightening scene.

"A gentleman was knocking, I heard him banging on everyone's door," recalled Aja Hardin. "Get out, we are going to die. I couldn't really breathe, I was just trying to pray, I couldn't pray out loud. I was praying in my head. I was just running and I couldn't see. I finally found a doorknob and I just ran."

Tyler Allison, another resident, recalled how much smoke he had to battle through just to get out of the building.

"All this smoke was going straight to my face, I ran down the hallway, I couldn't see anything, luckily, I knew where the stairwell door was so I just grabbed and opened the door," hhe said.

Two residents were sent to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and there is currently no timetable for when residents will be able to get back inside.