Fire in McKeesport destroys 1 house, damages 4 others

An overnight fire in McKeesport destroyed one house and damaged four surrounding buildings Sunday — and fire crews are working to address the situation.

Though the fire is no longer active, McKeesport Fire Department’s deputy chief, T.J. Perciavalle, said it’s still smoldering.

A closer look at the McKeesport fire, which occurred at around 2 a.m. overnight ⁦@TribLIVE⁩: pic.twitter.com/vqKXHNmBjr

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) June 16, 2024

Crews were called at 2:01 a.m. Sunday to the scene at Jenny Lind and Federal streets, he said.

Upon arrival, Perciavalle said the house where the fire started was still “fully involved” and ended up caving in on itself.

Four surrounding buildings — three houses and a carriage house — were damaged by the fire, he said. Those houses were empty, according to Perciavalle, and at least one was under renovation.

Perciavalle was at the scene about 9:30 a.m. Sunday with fire crews spraying water on the smoldering house.

“We are trying to hit all the hot spots until we can get possibly a backhoe up here,” he said. “The smoke’s coming from underneath the rubble or the basement. … Some of it could be steam from bricks from the heat.”

Scenes from the fire in McKeesport ⁦@TribLIVE⁩:

The building in the middle caught on fire at around 2 a.m. overnight, and the four buildings surrounding it were subsequently damaged. pic.twitter.com/McO2MFSkcM

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) June 16, 2024

A backhoe would help pull apart everything that “pancaked down,” such as the house’s floors and walls, so crews can address what is burning underneath, Perciavalle said.

He said he doesn’t expect the work will be finished anytime soon.

The situation remains under investigation.