Woman, cat safe after fire breaks out at Greensburg apartment

Linda Erickson wasn’t sure what the loud noise was that she heard Thursday morning from inside her Greensburg apartment.

But when a neighbor started banging on her door on Park Street around 9 a.m., she raced down the steps of her second-floor unit amid heavy smoke, leaving behind her 5-year-old cat, Pumpkin.

Her home was destroyed in a fire that Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Bell said was difficult to battle because of renovations. Remodeling left openings between walls that allowed flames to quickly move up to the roof, Bell said.

Firefighters, police and other city workers were met with heavy flames shooting out of the first floor onto the front porch of the home that housed two apartments. Bell said it took two hours until the blaze was under control and firefighters got a lot of help from neighboring companies.

“The guys did a hell of a job sticking to it,” he said.

It appears the fire started in the living room of the first-floor apartment, Bell said. Two residents who live there were not home. Police Capt. Robert Stafford said a fire marshal is investigating.

Erickson was not injured.

While she stood outside, Pumpkin shot out the front door and hid under a car. Others were able to grab her and Erickson sat in the back of a police car holding the frightened orange feline.

“I’m so happy she’s OK,” Erickson said, kissing the cat on the head. “It’s OK, it’s OK, honey, it’s OK.”

Bell said another cat was reported missing from the downstairs unit, but firefighters did not find the animal.

It was the second blaze city firefighters responded to in less than 12 hours.

Five people were displaced by a fire that damaged the second-floor bedroom and attic of a house in the 500 block of Mt. Pleasant Street, Bell said.

Firefighters from multiple companies battled the blaze as it spread from the bedroom to the attic of the single-family dwelling. The fire was called in by an occupant at 11:36 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher.

Bell said the likely cause was incense burning in the bedroom.

The occupants — four men and a woman — are staying with family, he said. There were no injuries.

Jeff Himler and Stephen Huba contributed to this report. Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.