Man killed in West Mifflin house fire
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (KDKA) — A man is dead after a fire tore through a home in West Mifflin on Wednesday.
The home in the 260 block of Millport Road belongs to a husband and wife and was passed down generations.
Lindsey DeFrances lives a few doors down and knows the family who lived there.
"That was her father's house, so she grew up there and now it doesn't look like she's going to be living there," DeFrances said.
The home was destroyed by smoke and flames on Wednesday morning. Fire officials arrived to the scene around 10:30 a.m.
"I opened the door and I just saw smoke. I mean, the whole neighborhood was covered in smoke," explained DeFrances.
A man was trapped inside and never made it out. He was later identified as 61-year-old Bentley Beckinger.
The firefighters who surrounded the home couldn't help but be affected by the tragedy.
"It gets to them, you know? It doesn't matter if you're a 50-year veteran like I am or a rookie. You don't ever want to lose somebody, so it's tough, but we'll get through it," said West Mifflin Fire Chief Craig McDivett.
The fire chief said they encountered some challenges due to the number of items inside the home and the ceiling coming down. One firefighter suffered a minor injury but is OK.
Right now, neighbors are just in shock to lose one of their own.
"People have lived here their entire lives, they know everybody, everybody talks. So I think it's going to be difficult, especially for her," said DeFrances.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
