Overnight demolition of the Jefferson Apartments in Squirrel Hill officially began after a devastating fire displaced roughly 30 residents last week.
Monday morning, the fenced-off area along the 5600 block of Forward Avenue had a large Schaaf Excavating Contractors crane and floodlights positioned toward what was left of the building.
While there were no construction crew members on the property at 10 a.m., the surrounding area still smelled of smoke from Tuesday’s fire and part of the right side of the building — facing the road — had been torn down.
The apartment complex on the 5600 Block of Forward Avenue was a mix of demolition and residual ash on Monday morning.
The fire broke out on Tuesday. On Monday at 10 a.m. part of the building had been torn down overnight and a crane was left in the rubble. @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/qTcl8a9LNi
— Megan Trotter (@meganktrotter) September 15, 2025
Pittsburgh Public Safety posted on social media Monday that the fire was caused by something electrical, originating in the basement utility room.
The Fire Investigation Unit determined that the fire was accidental.
The city issued a demolition permit at the site on Friday, following hazards amplified by the threat of imminent collapse.
Tim Schaaf, president of Schaaf Excavating Contractors, said they started demolition around 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Demolition work is scheduled to take place from around 7 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily, said Olga George, a spokeswoman for the city.
Schaff told TribLive the crews will work off-peak hours when the area is not busy.
“(They are) most concerned with safety,” Schaaf said.
Across the street from the apartment complex, Lifetime Auto Center Assistant Manager Joe Sickler, who had set up chairs and gave blankets to the residents who lost their homes on Tuesday, was relieved to be back working on cars.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation shut down the ramp from Forward Avenue to westbound Interstate 376 on Tuesday, which blocked traffic from getting in and out of the area. Sickler said the closure cost the auto shop around $8,000 to $12,000 over the two days.
Sickler had come into work on the day of the fire as normal and by 8:30 a.m. he remembers the building being “full blaze.”
Some of the residents were frequent customers of the auto shop, Sickler said.
“We know them on a first-name basis,” he said. “They cried, hugged each other.”
