Neighbors describe scene at Steelers assistant Wilson's burning house
Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson was “totally out of it” and severely burned on his hands and feet when neighbors coaxed him from his burning home in Seven Fields this morning.
Neighbor Dave Van Atta was sleeping when he smelled the smoke and looked outside to see Wilson's kitchen in flames shortly before 3 a.m. Van Atta said he called 911 and then pounded on the door of the Butler County home until Wilson answered. Bloody handprints covered the brick around the doorway and the doorstep, Van Atta said.
”He opened the door. All this smoke came out. He was all bloody. He kept saying, ‘I'm OK. I'm OK,'” Van Atta, 25, said. “He just had boxers on. His foot was just, like, melted . . . . He was in shock. You could tell he was totally out of it. I just saw his whole kitchen on fire.”
Paramedics took Wilson to UPMC Cranberry and then by helicopter to UPMC Mercy, Uptown, said Cranberry public safety director Jeffrey Schueler.
Wilson had severe burns on his arms and legs, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported. Schueler said when emergency units arrived, smoke and flames were visible from the home.
”First and foremost our thoughts and prayers are with Kirby and his entire family,” said Steelers president Art Rooney II in a statement. “We are saddened to hear about this unfortunate situation but we know that he has the best medical care in the country treating him. The entire organization is praying for Kirby to have a full recovery and we will be by his side through this difficult time.”
The fire marshal from the Pennsylvania State Police's Butler barracks is investigating.
Wilson, 50, has coached running backs for the Steelers for five years, according to the team. He previously held the same job with the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A Los Angeles native, he played college football at Pasadena Community College and the University of Illinois before spending two seasons in the Canadian Football League as a defensive back and kick returner, according to the team.
He began his coaching career in 1985 at Pasadena Community College. He has five children.
Staff writers Jill Greenwood and Deb Deasy contributed to this report.
