Fire Destroys Penn Hills Home; Man Gets Out Safely With His Dog
PENN HILLS (KDKA) -- Fire destroyed a home in Penn Hills overnight.
The Penn Hills fire chief said everyone was able to get out of the house safely, but the home is likely a total loss.
The chief said the home was engulfed in flames when crews arrived at the scene around 12:30 a.m.
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He said the blaze started in the back and tore through the home, adding that the tenant didn't fully put out his cigarette after smoking on the back porch.
That tenant later got up to use the restroom when he saw smoke and the fire on the back porch. When he ran out of the house, he left the front door open, which fueled the flames even more.
The fire was still burning with clouds of smoke pouring from the roof of the home around 2 a.m.
"You could see flames," neighbor Michael Garia said. "We thought he was cooking or something in the back. Next thing you know, it kept getting bigger and bigger."
The chief said firefighters had no problem putting out the fire.
The man and his dog got out safely.
The man who owns the home, Michael DiCocca, said it's sad his tenant now needs a place to live.
"The tenant is actually a friend of mine," he said. "We work together, and it's sad to see he doesn't have a place to live right now."
The tenant knocked on the door of the house next door to make sure they were OK. That home also sustained some damage, with siding on the house being melted.
Stay with KDKA for more on this developing story.
