Two fires in one small town resulted in two deaths within one year. Action News Investigates has learned the closest neighboring fire department was not called as primary backup in either fire. When an apartment building on San Juan Drive in Port Vue caught fire in October 2017, the fire spread quickly.
"I saw the flames shooting out and I was like, oh my gosh," neighbor Jessica Seaman said.
Killed in the fire was 59-year-old tenant Paul Whyel.
Dispatch records obtained by Action News Investigates showed Port Vue's Fire Department got help from volunteer firefighters in: Glassport - 2.4 miles away; Liberty Borough - 3.7 miles away; White Oak - 4 miles away; Elizabeth and Pleasant Hills - both 7 miles away. But Port Vue did not call the paid fire department in McKeesport, which is just 1.3 miles from the fire.