Flames and smoke Friday beat back several passersby and a police officer who tried to enter a burning Pitcairn home where a body was discovered later on the first floor, authorities said.
Pitcairn police Chief Scott Farally and Matt Brown, chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services, confirmed the fatality. Initial reports were that the victim was a man, but Brown did not confirm the sex of the deceased.
The fire broke out about 3 p.m. in the 1400 block of Wall Avenue. It isn't clear if the victim lived at the home.
Farally said an officer tried to enter the structure but could not because he was “overcome with heat and smoke.”
The fire destroyed the home, and the middle of the roof collapsed; flames were so hot that portions of the siding on the home next door melted and peeled away.
“There were several passersby reportedly that made attempts to enter the home but were unable to due to heat and smoke and flames,” said Brown.
Emergency personnel from Pitcairn, Monroeville and Wilmerding battled the fire in rainy conditions for several hours.
“They had flames coming out pretty much from every door and every window, especially on the first floor,” Brown said.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined; no criminal activity is suspected, Brown said.
He said the victim was found on the first floor toward the rear of the home.
Elana Boumila, who lives a few streets over on Third Street, said the house was engulfed in flames, and there was a large plume of smoke when she arrived about 3:15 p.m.
“They put the flames out, but they came right back,” she said.
Crews brought the blaze under control at 5:24 p.m.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner and the Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office are investigating.
Samson X Horne is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7845 or shorne@tribweb.com.
