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Investigators Probing City House Fires
Jenny Lind blaze at vacant home considered suspicious
By Staff Reports
The Tube City Almanac
November 15, 2024
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is investigating blazes this week that destroyed a vacant house on Jenny Lind Street and severely damaged two other homes on Packer Street.
The Jenny Lind Street fire is considered suspicious, McKeesport fire Chief Jeff Tomovcsik said.
The first fire was reported early Sunday morning in a home at 1803 Packer St. and quickly spread to a neighboring house at 1801. When crews arrived, the first house was heavily engulfed in fire and the second house was catching, and a second alarm was issued.
Both homes were wood-frame construction, according to Allegheny County property tax records. The houses were less than 10 feet apart.
One house was being used as a rental property but was currently vacant, Tomovcsik said. The other home had been vacant since October. At least one of the homes still had utilities connected.
Crews brought both Packer Street fires under control in about an hour, Tomovcsik said, but not before first-responders said a motorist drove through the fire scene and over a fire hose. The motorist’s license number and a description of the car have been referred to McKeesport police, the chief said.
Driving over a fire hose is against the law in Pennsylvania and is punishable by a fine, according to the state Vehicle Code.
“It could damage the car, it can damage the hose, and the fire hose is expensive,” Tomovcsik said. “The most significant problem we could see is that it could cut off the water supply to firefighters working inside the house, which could be very detrimental and cause significant injury.”
In addition to McKeesport firefighters, crews also responded from Allegheny County Airport, Duquesne Annex, Glassport, Liberty Borough, Munhall No. 4, Versailles and White Oak No. 1, with firefighters from Rainbow and Dravosburg on standby.
One firefighter was treated for a leg injury and taken to the hospital. Crews remained at the scene for about three hours Sunday morning.
The cause and origin of the Packer Street fire are under investigation, Tomovcsik said.
On Wednesday afternoon, McKeesport firefighters were dispatched to 1410 Jenny Lind St. and arrived to find a two-story wood-frame house fully engulfed in flame.
“That house had no utilities connected and not long into the fire, the roof collapsed,” Tomovcsik said. An exterior wall caved in a short time later.
According to public records, including obituaries, the owners of the house are deceased.
Crews had responded to a small fire on the first floor of the same structure on July 23, Tomovcsik said. The fire is considered suspicious.
The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office responded to the scene and was searching for traces of accelerant, he said.
No damage was reported to surrounding structures, but McKeesport public works crews responded to the scene with heavy equipment to pull down the remaining portions of the structure.
Firefighters from Allegheny County Airport, Duquesne Annex, Glassport, Liberty, Munhall, Port Vue and White Oak responded to the scene, with crews from Dravosburg and Rainbow on standby.
Originally published November 15, 2024.
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