Fire at Pittsburgh homeless shelter displaces 175 people, injures 6

Nearly 200 homeless people will be housed temporarily at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center after a fire Tuesday afternoon displaced them from the Second Avenue Commons shelter in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Four firefighters and two civilians were injured in the afternoon blaze at the shelter, Emily Bourne, a public safety spokeswoman, said.

First responders were dispatched just after 1 p.m., and the fire was under control by 2:19 p.m.

The fire appears to have started with an air conditioning or air handling unit on the roof, Bourne said. It does not appear the fire went into the building, but there is a hole in the structure, and windows are blown out, she said.

Smoke billowed from the roof and the fourth and fifth floors of the building.

A total of 92 people were being served in Second Avenue Commons’ emergency shelter, 43 were in the shelter’s “single room occupancy” units, and about 40 were staying in the overflow space, which runs each night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., said Linda Ross, spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Mercy.

Pittsburgh Mercy manages parts of the facility.

The American Red Cross on Tuesday afternoon was setting up 200 beds at the convention center, Ross said. The group Community Kitchen plans to provide the shelter residents with free meals on Wednesday.

Two of the injured firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat exhaustion, and another went to the hospital with chest pain. A fourth firefighter suffered a hand injury but was not taken to the hospital.

Two civilians were taken to the hospital after suffering heat exhaustion outside of the building, Bourne said.

Ten pets — nine dogs and one cat — also were being relocated to the convention center from Second Avenue Commons, Ross said.

Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh is assisting with pet supplies.

Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said the “significant amount of water” firefighters used to douse the flames might have caused some damage.

Officials will start assessing damage Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, Schmidt said. It’s too soon to say how long people will be displaced.

The people set to relocate to the convention center won’t be able to return to Second Avenue Commons until the city’s Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections assesses the building, Schmidt said.