Massive blaze in Homestead reignites Sunday following multi-injury fire the day before

A multi-building fire in Homestead reignited on Sunday after crews battled a massive blaze for hours the day before.

Allegheny County dispatch said Sunday one of the three buildings that ignited Satuday rekindled on Sunday morning for about 30 minutes before being put out again.

The new fire started at about 7:45 a.m., said dispatch, but firefighters were able to put out the rekindled blaze with relative ease.

Saturday’s fire was a much more difficult and dangerous task.

Five firefighters were injured while battling a fire that heavily damaged three residences.

None of the firefighters injuries are life-threatening, according to Steve Imbarlina, assistant chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services. Authorities initially reported that four firefighters were hurt but later Saturday reported another injury. They were all transported to area hospitals, officials said.

Two firefighters fell through the roof of one of the homes while battling the flames, said Matt Brown, chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services.

Imbarlina said eight residents are displaced, but none of them was injured.

At least three residences were damaged, one with a brick facade and two that are wood-frame. Two appeared to be single-family homes, while a larger, multi-unit building also sustained serious fire damage.

The roofs of at least two of the houses collapsed.

According to Allegheny County 911, five departments were dispatched at 9:28 a.m. to East 17th Street in Homestead.

Brown said first responders arrived within minutes.

Brown said the blaze started at one building in the 200 block of 17th Avenue in Homestead, and then migrated to two other structures closer to the corner of McClure Street. As the flames progressed, the need grew for more and more firetrucks and firefighters, Brown said. Ultimately, five alarms were sounded.

Brown said nearly 100 firefighters responded.

Flames were constant for more than three hours and were finally extinguished shortly after 1 p.m., Brown said.

Brown said firefighters had to battle temperatures in the single digits, which were causing some setbacks with their equipment.

He said at least one firetruck’s water pumps and tanks froze, and the closest fire hydrant was also frozen when crews arrived. A ladder on another engine was also frozen and not functioning properly, Brown said.

“A lot of icy conditions, and safety is our primary concern,” he said. “It was extreme conditions.”

Emily Carney lives three doors away from the fires. She saw the flames soon after the fire was reported. She said the smoke started as gray but turned into a big, black plume.

Soon, the fire spread from one house to another.

“I’ve never seen as big of a fire in my life,” she said.

She commended the firefighters, who responded from a slew of neighboring towns.

“It really shows how much work and effort they put in to keep us safe,” Carney said.

Brown said the response was impressive, considering the majority of the responding units were from volunteer departments.

“This was a very good response,” he said. “These are people that dropped what they were doing at 9:30 in the morning, ran to the station, got their gear and ran to the scene.”

Brown said it wasn’t clear where the fire started in the first building, nor was a cause known yet. He said fire marshals were on the scene Saturday afternoon, and an investigation is ongoing.

He said this size of fire means the work doesn’t stop after the flames are doused.

“There is a lot of work still to be done, and cleanup to get everybody back in service,” Brown said.