Plans in place to begin demolition of Pittsburgh apartment building after massive fire
The Jefferson Apartments on Forward Avenue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood were destroyed in Tuesday's massive fire, and plans are now coming together to demolish the century-old building.
More than 24 hours after the fire began, Pittsburgh firefighters remained on the scene as of noon Wednesday, continuing to pour water on several parts of the building.
City officials say if the building owner fails to take "significant action" by the end of the day Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections will initiate a city-led demolition, paid out of the city's general fund, which could begin as soon as Thursday.
On Thursday, the city said they selected Schaaf Excavating Contractors to demolish the building; however, they are giving the owner additional time to comply with the order to demolish.
Residents take stock of what they've lost
"Our apartment was one of the unlucky ones where the entire floor just fell out," resident Tegan Carr said.
Throughout the morning, firefighters also ventured into the structure to retrieve some of the residents' belongings.
Carr, along with his girlfriend Abegale Jones, returned to the site, hoping to save something of value. That, however, wasn't the case.
"Nothing we were hoping for, none of our keepsakes or valuable stuff, just a couple of odds and ends," Carr said.
"We were able to get some important documents like my master's diploma from CMU, and also some valuables for my wife," resident Shariful Islam said. "Firefighters are real heroes here; they helped us a lot."
Russian immigrants say they'll have to start over again
The building's tenants include Russian immigrants who left everything behind just to lose it all again. They fled their country amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
"We left everything behind. We went here just with one suitcase, and we're trying to start our life from zero level," said Alena Dergacheva.
Dergacheva said one of her friends left everything except for his beloved cat, Gabby. But the cat died in the fire from the intense smoke.
"You've survived so much, now you have to survive all over again. How will that work?" KDKA-TV's Barry Pintar asked.
"It's hard. It's hard. But, you know, we already went through all this once, so I'm sure that we will survive again," she said.
Officials call structure "imminent danger"
Duquesne Light also remains on the scene to determine possible outcomes for the power lines that are in front of the building once demolition is initiated.
The structure is "an imminent danger and poses a risk of serious or life-threatening injury," city officials said.
A portion of Forward Avenue remains closed, including the sidewalk, parking lane, and part of the inbound driving lane toward Murray Avenue, officials said. There is no timetable to reopen the roadway.