Officials: Mattress fire caused evacuation of Pittsburgh's Roosevelt Arms apartments
A resident smoking in bed resulted in a mattress fire that led to the evacuation late Sunday of the Roosevelt Arms high-rise apartments in Downtown Pittsburgh, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.
Reported at around 11:30 p.m., the fire was contained to an apartment on the 10th floor of the 14-floor building in the 600 block of Penn Avenue. No injuries were reported.
Residents were evacuated and took shelter from the elements in Port Authority buses and inside a business on Sixth Street. The Salvation Army and Red Cross responded to assist affected residents.
A Public Safety spokeswoman said six people were displaced. As of Tuesday, all had returned to their homes except the occupant of the apartment where the fire occurred, she said.
Constructed in 1927 as The Roosevelt Hotel, the building in the city’s Cultural District includes about 190 apartments.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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