Fire breaks out at former McKees Rocks school
Fire damaged the former Miles Bryan school in McKees Rocks early Wednesday morning, and neighbors suspected arson.
Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported that the fire broke out around midnight at the Wayne Avenue school, which a developer has been renovating for the past six months with the intent of turning the school into apartments and studios for artists.
Neighbors told the TV station they saw children running from the scene shortly before noticing the fire. The building had issues with squatters and vandalism before the renovations. It had not been used as a school since at least 1997.
Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Matt Brown said someone appeared to have broken into the building, burglarized it and set fire to some debris. He estimated the damage at about $500, and said the investigation was ongoing.
Fire at old school under construction in McKees Rocks. Neighbors told @WPXI they saw kids running from the scene. We are live here with details in a few minutes pic.twitter.com/NhoIHzVyyr
— Liz Kilmer (@LizKilmerWPXI) March 7, 2018
Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724 836 6660, msantoni@tribweb.com or on Twitter @msantoni.
