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Fire breaks out at site of deadly North Side mass shooting

Fire breaks out at scene of last year's deadly North Side mass shooting
Fire breaks out at scene of last year's deadly North Side mass shooting 02:13

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A fire broke out Wednesday in the building that was the scene of a deadly mass shooting on the North Side last year. 

The man who lived in the building on Madison Avenue said he was smoking a cigarette when the fire started. He said he placed the cigarette in the ashtray and stepped away for just a minute. He said when he came back, he saw a ball of smoke. 

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KDKA Photojournalist Bryan Orr

Multiple people were injured and two people were killed during a large party at the Airbnb on Easter morning a year ago. Now the building is just apartments. The man who lived there said he's been renting the second and third floor apartment since December. 

He said he couldn't get to his phone to call and flagged over a driver to call 911. He said after about 25 minutes, firefighters also rescued his dog. 

"He's the love of my life, he's my best friend. If something would have happened to him I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for it," he said. 

The downstairs unit had just been rented and the couple was planning on moving in Saturday. Instead, they were there on Wednesday moving their things out. They said while the damage is minimal in their unit, they're opting to find another place.  

There's been no word on the official cause of the fire. 

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