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On Friday, August 1, 2003 at approximately 2:30p.m. Penn Hills firefighters were dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 2200 block of Leechburg Road. Upon arriving firefighters discovered a residential structure heavily involved, with extension to an exposure. Additional fire companies were called in for mutual aid. Approximately 60 firefighters from 7 departments battled the blaze for several hours. Companies that operated at the scene were; Stations 223, 226, 227, 233,195, 222 and 224. Several other departments were on stand by for the departments that were battling the blaze. The blaze was very difficult to battle, as the original fire structure was filled with at least 100 tires or more. It is understood that the male was being evicted from the home, which had been the site of a past shooting and a big drug bust. He was to be out of the house by Saturday, August 2, 2003 according to the eviction notice. How coincidental for his house to go up like a tinder box on Friday, August 1, 2003...  Well needless to say, the Fire Marshal has ruled the cause of the fire as arson. It appears as though someone torched off the pile of tires in the side yard which spread to the house, quickly engulfing it. The intense heat also melted the siding on several nearby homes. 3 firefighters had to be treated for heat exhaustion.

Pictures/Story Provided by: Nick Markowitz and Dave Novak