A Monroeville home was heavily damaged by fire early Thursday morning.
No one was hurt in the 5:30 a.m. blaze along Center Road. Police Chief Doug Cole said the home is being renovated and no one was inside when the fire started.
Nora Nkonde, who lives across the street, said her husband went outside for a cigarette and saw the flames. They started pounding on the doors and windows, in case anyone was inside.
“I knew there were people who lived there, and I had to know they were OK,” she said.
Firefighters have this house fire on Center Road in Monroeville under control, but there’s still a lot of smoke coming from the building. pic.twitter.com/coXyLSnzxe
— Jacob Tierney (@Soolseem) November 21, 2019
Firefighters arrived within five minutes, Cole said. They were initially worried there might be people inside, so firefighters went into the burning home.
Once it was clear that nobody was inside, the flames became so intense that firefighters had to retreat and fight the fire from outside until it was under control, said Monroeville Volunteer Fire Company 6 Chief Corye Ramsey.
The flames were heaviest at the rear of the home, but it’s unclear where the blaze started, according to Ramsey. The roof partially collapsed, and the house likely will be a total loss, he said.
Firefighters had the blaze under control by 7 a.m., though heavy smoke continued to pour from the building until about 8 a.m.
The Allegheny County fire marshal is investigating.
