Fire rips through maintenance building at Westmoreland County country club

VIDEO: The general manager of a Westmoreland County country club told KDKA they lost a couple hundred thousand dollars' worth of equipment after a fire ripped through a maintenance building Thursday morning. Dennis Horwitz and Ron Urso were surprised by what they saw when they pulled up to River Forest Country Club in Allegheny Township, for their tee time. "I saw these cars. I thought gee they're busy this time of morning," Horwitz said. "There's usually nothing going on this early," Urso said. "Then, [Dennis] tells me that there was a fire and what have you. I said, 'Well, when were you going to tell me?'" Horwitz had heard about a fire in the township on the news but didn't realize where it was. "It must have been hot because even the steel beams are bent where the storage shed was," Horwitz said.
KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

Update: Fire that damaged Fire Chief’s Memorial Bandshell in Norristown was intentionally set, officials say

An investigation is underway after a fire that damaged a memorial bandshell in Norristown, Pennsylvania, last month was determined to be intentionally set, according to officials. The two-alarm fire occurred Aug. 28 just before 2 a.m. at the Fire Chief’s Memorial Bandshell at Elmwood Park on 1325 Harding Boulevard. Investigators report that the fire was started near a porta-potty located at the back of the bandshell structure. The fire then went up the back of the bandshell, eventually penetrating the inside structure and engulfing the roof. Responding firefighters were able to place the fire under control around 3 a.m., officials said. No injuries were reported. Officials said extensive damage to the bandshell has rendered the structure condemned by municipal officials and is fenced off to visitors of the park. The rest of the park remains open, however.
WCAU-TV NBC 10 Philadelphia

Accidental house fire in Lower Burrell leaves family homeless

A fire started by an accident destroyed a home in Lower Burrell on Wednesday afternoon. The fire started at a home along the 200 block of Michigan Avenue just before noon. The flames were so hot that they melted the siding on the neighbor's house some 30 yards away. The smoke was so large that, at one point, it could be seen miles away across the Allegany River on Route 28. KDKA-TV spoke with Deputy Fire Chief Scott Gloer of Lower Burrell No. 3, who said they got the fire under control about 40 minutes after they arrived, but he said this was a challenging fight. "We had some water supply issues," said Chief Gloer. "People ran over some of our supply hoses as they were getting out of the plan, but once we got some good water supply going, we got the bulk of it knocked down, and then overall, took the rest of the time. If I could say anything, please don't run over hoses."
KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

Fire Heavily Damages Home In Upper Makefield

PHOTO: Thompson Mill Road has reopened to traffic following a pre-dawn house fire that forced the closure of the road Tuesday morning. The Lingohocken Fire Company responded to the scene at 5:01 a.m. for the report of a house fire. When the volunteers arrived, they reported a fully-involved single family dwelling in the 100 block of Thompson Mill Road. Fire crews from Upper Makefield and nearby Warwick Township, Northampton Township and New Hope Eagle also responded to the scene to assist the Lingohocken crews in attacking the fire with hose lines and ladders. The majority of the fire was out by 6:25 a.m., but firefighters remained on the scene for an extended period conducting mop up operations and investigating the cause of the blaze. The roadway was reopened around 10 a.m.
Newtown Patch

Crews fight fire on Allegheny County hospital roof

Crews responded to a fire on the roof of Jefferson Hospital on Tuesday. The small fire that broke out shortly before 11:30 a.m. caused smoke to get into the hospital's upper floors through the air handling system, a spokesperson for Allegheny Health Network said in a statement. Some floors were impacted by smoke, but patient care areas weren't significantly affected and the building wasn't evacuated, AHN said. The impacted floors were ventilated to clear any remaining smoke. "From my understanding, there was some welding going on that caught some insulation on fire and that spread and that caused some smoke to go throughout the building. Most of what we were dealing with today was ... smoke fumes," said AHN public relations director Bill Toland.
KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

Fire in Philadelphia declared arson by officials

An early morning fire that broke out in the rear garage of a private residence in the city’s 15th District has been determined to be an act of arson, according to fire officials. The blaze occurred at approximately 4:43 a.m. Wednesday on the 4100 block of Decatur Street. Multiple 911 calls were received, and firefighters from Ladder 20 and Engine 36 responded to the scene. The fire was brought under control by 5:29 a.m. The fire has displaced residents from two homes on the block. No injuries have been reported in connection with the incident. The Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s office has classified the fire as arson. The scene remains secured as investigators continue their work. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Shore News Network