On the evening of Wednesday, May 31st at approximately 6:45pm Sharpsburg Station 265, Aspinwall Station 102, Pleasant Valley Station 217, Blawnox Station 111 and Seneca Area EMS were dispatched to a possible structure fire in the 800 block of Main Street in the business district of Sharspburg Borough. A few minutes later, fire units confirmed a working structure fire with heavy fire and smoke coming from a three story commercial/residential structure on the corner of Main Street and Eighth Street. Additional alarm assignments were dispatched to the scene which included Etna Station 149, Millvale Station 191, Guyasuta Station 219 Truck and Sharps Hill Station 263 Air Unit. Seneca Area EMS also requested additional units from Parkview and Foxwall EMS. The Salvation Army, Red Cross, two busses from the Port Authority Transit system, 1 for displaced residents and 1 for firefighter rehab and the Allegheny County Fire Marshal also responded to the scene. Over 100 firefighters worked to get the blaze under control, but high heat and humidity made the effort even more challenging. One firefighter was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The building housed a Beauty Salon and Karate School on the first floor and ten apartments on the upper floors, eight of which were occupied at the time. At the time of the fire, about 20 students were in the Karate School but all the students and residents of the apartments above managed to get out of the building, but left several people homeless. Several pets were also rescued from the apartments above. This is the third major fire within five years in the same area, one which occurred and destroyed a three story commercial/residential structure in 2004, on the opposite corner of Main Street and Eighth Street. A multi-fatality fire in 2001 occurred across the street in the 700 block of Main Street. This is also in the same area which also received major flood damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal has ruled the fire accidental. The cause of the fire was ruled as faulty wiring in an air conditioning unit. Five additional fire companies were transferred and placed on stand-by until the fire was under control. Sharpsburg Station 265 and Aspinwall Station 102 were recalled to the scene around noon the following day to extinguish several hot spots.

Above Pictures Submitted by: Eric Rasmussen

Story by: Eric Rasmussen

Below Pictures Submitted by: Valerie Weissert