New Kensington Fire Being Treated as Suspicious, Officials Say
A fierce blaze that tore through a three-storey house in New Kensington over the weekend is now being probed as suspicious by authorities.
Flames lit up the night sky just after 1 a.m. on Saturday, engulfing a home on Sixth Avenue.
The scale of the fire, which rapidly consumed windows, the roof, and the rear of the property, prompted an immediate large-scale response. Dozens of volunteer firefighters rushed to the scene in the Parnassus neighbourhood.
“The New Kensington police have said that it looks suspicious in nature,” said Chief Ed Saliba of the New Kensington Fire Department.
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office has since confirmed that an active investigation is underway, led by the New Kensington Police and a fire marshal from the Pennsylvania State Police. The cause of the fire remains unclear, but suspicions of foul play are being taken seriously.
Despite the intensity of the flames, there were no reported injuries. All occupants of the building, which housed at least three separate flats, managed to escape unharmed. One dog was rescued by fire crews during the chaos.
“There were no injuries, firefighter-wise or civilian-wise, thank goodness,” Chief Saliba said.
Over 50 firefighters from surrounding departments battled the inferno for hours. It wasn’t a straightforward fight the structure’s age and materials made it incredibly volatile.
“About 45 minutes to an hour to bring the fire under control. Two different times, the firefighters had to egress out of the structure in fear of the roof possibly collapsing.
Once things were deemed safe, they were allowed to reenter. Then an aggressive interior attack put the fire out. Firefighters remained on scene for about two-and-a-half hours doing heavy salvage and overhaul,” Saliba explained.
According to Saliba, the design and materials used in the century-old home contributed to the fire’s intensity.
“The house was a wood frame structure, balloon frame, with insulbrick siding. On top of the insulbrick was vinyl siding. A lot of the old-time firefighters call it insulbrick gasoline siding because there’s tar involved. Once that takes off, look out,” he added.
The New Kensington fire has left several residents displaced and shaken. With investigations ongoing, authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
The blaze is a stark reminder of the risks tied to older housing stock in American cities like New Kensington. For now, the community is left reeling, but grateful that no lives were lost.
