Man jumps from house to escape fire in Duquesne
DUQUESNE, Pa. (KDKA) - A man is recovering after jumping from his house to escape a fire in Duquesne. The fire trapped the man on the upper floors with nowhere to go.
The homeowner had to jump from the top of the front porch. Witnesses said much of the fire was on the first floor. According to fire crews, the house on Kennedy Avenue went up in flames around 5:30 Tuesday morning.
"I smelled the smoke and I saw it in the sky, and I followed the smoke signals. I was more worried about my business," Nick Bouras of Duquesne said.
Neighbors could hear the homeowner screaming from his roof.
"Screaming, 'help me. Help me. Help me.' Looked to the window from the upstairs of the parsonage and saw inside the house was on fire," said Dr. Reverend Joseph Posd, who lives across the street.
Duquesne Fire Chief Frank Cobb said his team got to the house within five minutes. They found flames pouring out of the home and the homeowner already down on the sidewalk. He was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries from jumping from the roof.
"Once we realized he was off the roof and everyone was accounted for, that's when we transferred into attack mode," Cobb said.
The house is now considered a total loss with its windows and doors boarded up.
Posd said firefighters should be credited for preventing the fire from spreading to other nearby homes. The next-door neighbor who did not speak on camera said his house was not damaged.
"The speed and quickness of the fire department, that's I assume, because within a few minutes, the other house would be engulfed by the flames," Posd said.
No cause has been given for the fire yet, but multiple people who know the homeowner say he used kerosene heaters.
"I hope he's alright," Bouras said.
No condition has been released for the victim. He lived by himself. The county fire marshal is looking for the exact cause.
