Probe into fatal East Hills fire that killed girl, 2, remains open

A 2-year-old girl killed when a December fire gutted a Pittsburgh apartment died from thermal injuries and breathing in carbon monoxide, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Monday.

Firefighters pulled Praise Lemons from the blaze that broke out at Maple Ridge Apartments in the city’s East Hills neighborhood around 9 p.m. on Dec. 27, city officials said.

She died at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh about an hour later, the medical examiner said.

Monday’s announcement from the medical examiner stated that the manner of death (a medical-legal classification) remains undetermined. The fire remains under investigation.

Praise initially was transported to the hospital in stable condition after suffering smoke inhalation and burns, Emily Bourne, a Pittsburgh public safety spokesperson, said at the time.

Paramedics took Praise’s mother and her 6-year-old sister to separate hospitals after the fire, which was contained to a single apartment but affected 11 other units, officials said. The fire appeared to break out on the building’s third floor.

All families affected by the fire were relocated, officials said.

Maple Ridge Apartments had been condemned in December by the city’s Department of Permits, Licensing and Inspections, Pittsburgh fire Chief Darryl Jones said at the time.

The apartment complex’s status remained unclear Monday.

Vitus Group, the Seattle-based affordable housing developer that owns the apartments, did not respond Monday to a phone call or emails seeking comment.

City housing officials and Councilman Khari Mosley, whose district includes East Hills, did not respond to phone calls or emails seeking comment.

A spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey did not reply to questions about the fire or the status of the apartment building.