3 people rescued from late-night Millvale apartment fire

A late-night fire tore through the Millvilla Apartment Building in Millvale, injuring several people and forcing residents from their homes.

The fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. at an apartment building along Grant Avenue, where the smell of smoke and the sound of fire alarms lingered into the morning hours.

"It's a terrible sight to see. I mean, just concerning," said Kelly Phillips, who works across the street. Three people were rescued late Tuesday night from an apartment fire in Millvale.

Millvale Borough Fire Chief Jim Tunstall said that when first responders arrived at the scene, they found flames and smoke on multiple floors of the building.

The chief added that they found a resident trapped on the second floor. 

"We had an occupant on the side of the building on Stanton Avenue in a second-division window, so we threw up a ladder and extricated that victim," said Chief Tunstall.

Firefighters rescued that person along with two others who were trapped on the second floor.

One person was taken to the hospital. Another was treated for injuries and released at the scene. Three firefighters were also hurt but are expected to recover.

Just across the street, employees at West Penn Laco arrived at work to find significant damage to the apartment building.

"Surprising and scary. We're hopeful everyone is okay," said Phillips. "We were concerned for the people in the apartment building first and foremost. Obviously, it was very close to our business, and it was concerning."

Phillips said the situation was especially alarming given the nature of her company's work. West Penn Laco distributes industrial gases, including propane, and has filling stations and cylinders stored near the roadway.

"We do have a lot going on here. As a distributor, we sell industrial bottles of gas and propane. So, we have filling stations and a lot of cylinders that sit right on the roadway," said Phillips.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.