Four Pittsburgh firefighters were injured in a four-alarm residential blaze Sunday that included two structure collapses and a mayday.
The fire broke out at about 8 p.m. at a home in Pittsburgh's South Side Slopes neighborhood, WPXI-TV reports. When crews reached the scene, they could see flames shooting through the structure's side and roof, forcing the evacuation of neighboring houses.
Two collapses happened at the rear of the house, and a mayday was called at one point.
“We went from an offensive interior attack, and we transitioned after the interior collapse that trapped a couple of our men,” Pittsburgh Assistant Fire Chief Brian Kokkila said at press conference. “Anytime that we have a firefighter injury, especially inside a building, that’s going to cause us to hit the reset button for a second to make sure our crews are safe.”
Four firefighters were taken to the hospital after suffering injuries during the blaze. Two firefighters suffered shoulder injuries, one firefighter was cut and another firefighter suffered a minor burn, according to WPXI.
Two neighboring buildings sustained smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
