Crews battle 2 house fires on same street in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood

PITTSBURGH — Crews in Bloomfield spent Thursday night between two separate fires that ignited just blocks apart along Friendship Avenue.

The first fire started along the 4700 block of Friendship Avenue around 10:20 p.m.

According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, residents told first responders that they were on the first and third floors of the home when they heard the fire alarm on the second floor. There, they found flames and heavy smoke in a bedroom.

“I called 911 and told them there was a fire, and I saw fellas coming out of the house, so I went over to make sure they were ok,” neighbor Chris Young said. “The flames just went really fast,” Young said. “It went from some flames in the window to them shooting out of the window.”

Everyone was able to get out uninjured, officials say. The fire is believed to have been accidental, as a resident said they left multiple candles burning in the room where the fire started.

A second fire then started at a first-floor apartment along the 4900 block of Friendship Avenue around 11 p.m., officials say.

“A fire truck stopped, slammed on his brakes right here, and a guy got out and ran inside and said, ‘Clear the building,’” neighbor Caden Myers said.

Four police officers suffered smoke inhalation while helping people get out of the building’s second and third floors, officials say. The officers were taken to the hospital in stable condition and were all released by 2 a.m. Friday.

The first-floor apartment’s resident was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

The fire’s cause is under investigation, but it’s believed to have started near the kitchen stove.

“This is crazy. I mean, they’re only two blocks away,” Young said of the fires.

Residents of the apartments told Channel 11 they were instructed to find somewhere else to stay after utilities were shut off, but were not told how long they would be displaced.

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