Small fire at senior high rise in Scottdale forces brief evacuations

Some residents of the Scottdale Manor senior citizen high rise along Pearl Street were briefly evacuated from their apartments Tuesday night because of smoke from a small fire in the building.

No serious injuries were reported in the fire but several residents were taken to a hospital for evaluation, according to Scottdale Councilwoman Charity Colevank.

The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m. in an apartment on the building’s second floor. Crews from multiple fire departments quickly extinguished the fire but smoke spread to some other apartments, prompting officials to call in buses so residents could be relocated.

That plan was put on hold, however, when firefighters were able to ventilate the building. Residents were briefly outside or in the lobby until air in the building could be tested for safety. As of 9:30 p.m., officials planned to allow the residents back into their apartments and the buses were sent away.

Colevank said officials were talking with residents to see if any felt uncomfortable staying there tonight but that tests showed the air in the building was safe.

Scottdale Manor is a high-rise operated by the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, serving senior citizens and others.

No further information was immediately available.