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1 killed, 4 injured after fire breaks out at Upper St. Clair home

1 killed, 4 injured in massive Upper St. Clair Township house fire
1 killed, 4 injured in massive Upper St. Clair Township house fire 02:15

UPPER ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — One person was killed and four were injured after a massive fire at a home in Upper St. Clair Township.

The fire broke out early Thursday morning at a home on Country Club Drive. There was so much smoke, it could be seen from Washington Road. 

"I came out, and this entire building was engulfed in flames," neighbor Jason Daugherty said.

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Aerial shot of the scene.  KDKA-TV

Upper St. Clair Township Fire Chief Ted Hale said the first call came in just after 6 a.m. Crews had a lot to deal with from the jump.

"We had a collapse factor within minutes on the backside of the building," Hale said.

Police were the first to arrive on scene. They were greeted with intense flames and heavy smoke pouring from the home. 

A woman outside the house alerted officers of two other family members still inside. 

"Officers made entry to the house to rescue a male. He was taken to the hospital, not sure of his condition right now. The woman was also taken to the hospital to be checked," said Upper St. Clair Township Police Chief Jonathan Wharton.

Officers attempted to rescue the other person inside but the intensity of the flames caused part of the house to collapse. 

"It was three stories all broken up, so it was very difficult. Once it collapsed, obviously that's what created the smoke and the big ball of fire," Hale said. 

The person trapped inside the century-old home was killed. The two police officers who risked their lives to rescue the family were taken to the hospital. 

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A fire broke out at a home along Country Club Drive in Upper St. Clair Township.  KDKA Photojournalist Brian Smithmyer

"I talked to them personally when I got here. But then they went to get checked just to make sure there weren't any other conditions that were gonna affect them," said Wharton.

Temperatures remained in the single digits Thursday morning. Public works crews kept putting salt on the runoff to prevent it from becoming ice.

"This is an all-hands-on-deck response," said Upper St. Clair Township manager Matt Serakowski.

There were several departments and around 50 firefighters on the scene, while a PRT bus was brought out to keep the people warm. 

For neighbors, all of this is hard to fathom.

"I think when it happens in your own neighborhood, it really brings you closer to the reality of this," Daugherty said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The victim's name hasn't been released yet. 

1 person killed and four injured in Upper St. Clair house fire 01:54
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