Leetsdale councilman, family displaced after fire rips through their First Street home

A few days after a fire ravaged his First Street home on Jan. 21, one of the items that Leetsdale council vice president Osman Awad plucked from the debris was the urn containing his wife’s ashes.

Robin Awad died in 2017 at 54.

Now, the Leetsdale leader known for providing meals at numerous borough functions and pushing for infrastructure improvements is grateful for the community’s response in his time of need.

Temperatures were in the teens when Awad and his two adult daughters, Jacqueline, 38, and Jennifer 36, and two grandchildren, Zahir, 14, and Zaid, 12, had to evacuate as smoke and flames rose from the basement.

“I’m glad nobody got hurt in my family,” said Awad, 68. “I went to go to the bathroom, and the dog started barking. He’s scratching the basement door. I open the basement door and the smoke comes in my face.

”I screamed, ‘Fire, fire, fire!’ My daughter woke everybody up. They got out of there. (Jacqueline) kicked a door off the hinges to get grandkids out.”

Volunteer firefighters from Leet, Sewickley, Aleppo, Ambridge, Emsworth and Harmony assisted Leetsdale’s volunteers battling the blaze around 3:45 a.m.

Leetsdale Fire Chief Wes James said some firefighters slipped on ice but did not require medical attention.

The basement and first floor sustained significant damage. Many items, including tools, sports equipment and clothes, were destroyed, badly burned or marred by smoke.

James said the damage could have been a lot greater had it not been for the quick response from multiple departments.

The home is more than 100 years old and was built with a “balloon frame” construction, meaning there are voids running up the walls between floors. The chief said that makes it easier for fire to travel the whole wall.

James said there were no issues getting water to fight the fire.

Leetsdale public works crews salted the area as water coming from the trucks froze on the roads. Some firefighter gear also froze during the ordeal, which lasted about three hours.

The fire was ruled accidental and is related to a space heater, Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services public information officer Kasey Reigner said Jan. 28.

A cat is believed to have knocked over the space heater.

Community response

Two boxes for clothing and donations are set up outside the borough building, 373 Beaver St. At least one trailer full of clothes had been given to the family as of Jan. 24.

The family was staying at a hotel in Ambridge and has since moved to a hotel on Neville Island.

“The people were so generous, tears (were) running out of my eyes,” said Awad, a former executive sous chef at the Allegheny Country Club. “We got 35 bags of new clothes donated from people. The love people give me — God’s been good to me.”

Leetsdale Mayor Sandra Ford helped set up the collection efforts. She said she is not surprised at how the borough has come together to support Awad.

“We have been getting gift cards for his grandkids to buy clothes,” Ford said. “Right now, they are living in a hotel so all clothing donations will be put in a trailer until he gets a more permanent place.

“People are coming together in Leetsdale to help him because he helps residents all the time.”

The Salvation Army also assisted the family immediately after the fire.

People who want to make arrangements to donate directly to the family can contact Awad through the borough’s website at leetsdaleborough.net.

Awad continued to focus on his family’s safety while surveying his damaged home Jan. 28 — he wasn’t concerned about what was lost to the flames.

“I’m glad we all got out of there,” Awad said. “Nobody died. My main concern is nobody got hurt. … Material things come and go. I don’t want to get worked up about it.”

Awad credits their 2-year-old American pit bull, Bella, with alerting him to the fire and saving their lives.

Their house was a former post office built in 1923 and sits near Buncher Commerce Park.

Awad believes the house is a total loss and is working with his insurance company on options to rebuild.

“They said I have a good claim, I have a good policy,” Awad said. “They are working on it. I have an insurance adjuster I hired so nobody can get on my shoulder. If it’s a dollar, it’s got to be a dollar. They’re not going to bring me down to 20 cents.”

Meanwhile, the children and grandchildren are missing family meals together in their familiar setting.

“They miss being home, man,” Awad said. “I can’t leave the town. That’s my town. I love the town. I love the people.”