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County, ATF Investigating Versailles Ave. Blaze
By Staff Reports
The Tube City Almanac
November 27, 2024
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
Investigators are probing a fire that damaged an apartment building Tuesday morning on Versailles Avenue.
McKeesport firefighters said crews were dispatched to 3212 Versailles Ave. just before 7 a.m. after Allegheny County 9-1-1 reported receiving multiple calls about a fire in a second-floor apartment. The blaze at the corner of Versailles and Craig streets quickly went to two alarms.
The first floor of the building previously housed Omerta Ink, a tattoo parlor. According to a post on Facebook, Omerta Ink closed Sept. 26.
Firefighters said the upper floor of the building was not occupied as a residence at the present time and appeared to be a storage area.
According to a release from the city fire bureau, “tight hallways and (the) odd configuration” of the second floor hampered firefighters’ attempt to enter the structure, which initially forced crews to fight the blaze from the exterior before they could re-enter the building.
Firefighters reported the blaze under control in 45 minutes and remained on the scene for about two hours. No injuries were reported.
In addition to McKeesport firefighters, crews responded from Allegheny County Airport, Dravosburg, Duquesne Annex, Elizabeth Twp., Glassport, Liberty Borough, Monroeville No. 5, Munhall No. 4, North Versailles Twp., Rainbow, Swissvale, Versailles, West Mifflin No. 3 and White Oak No. 1, along with McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service and the Salvation Army.
The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office and investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives responded to the scene and sealed the building.
Omerta Ink was raided by ATF agents in August 2019 after prosecutors alleged that the building’s owner, Richard Watson Jr., 36, had sold unlicensed and untraceable handguns — so-called “ghost guns” — from the business.
Watson pleaded guilty in 2020 to possessing unlicensed firearms and was sentenced to 30 months of detention and three years’ probation.
An ATF spokesman in Philadelphia said Tuesday the agency does not comment about ongoing cases.
However, Ben Benson, public information officer for the agency, said that the ATF’s involvement does not necessarily relate to the 2019 case or any other firearms investigations.
“Our ATF agents were on scene and are supporting the Allegheny County fire marshal,” Benson said. “We regularly support local fire agencies with our expertise and capabilities.”
The county is leading the investigation into the fire’s cause and origin, he said. A spokeswoman for the fire marshal could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday about the status of the investigation.
Originally published November 27, 2024.
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