Thirteen residents of a North Braddock apartment complex were displaced on Friday after a fire forced them to evacuate.
According to the Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the fire began in the 400 block of Lobinger Avenue, which is home to the 55-unit Shady Park Place complex.
In a statement, the Red Cross said it assisted 13 evacuees in finding accommodations in a hotel while it coordinates with the county and the property’s manager to prioritize maintenance and fire remediation services so residents can return to their homes as soon as possible.
Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV reported that over three dozen people were evacuated in total, all of them senior citizens and most in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.
No cause of the fire was released.
Nicole Roschella, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said in an interview that the aid group was called to Shady Park Place around 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
There were no injuries, she said.
“Basically in these situations with a large apartment fire like this, first course of action is, do these people have a place to go — to stay with friends, family. In this situation, most people did. It was these 13 people that needed a place to stay, and that’s how we worked with the property manager to find those accommodations.
UPDATE: Our Southwestern PA Chapter is assisting 13 neighbors after an apartment building fire in North Braddock (Allegheny County). The Red Cross is providing support to meet the immediate needs of the people affected while they are evacuated from their homes. pic.twitter.com/6j8LXIpbEx
— American Red Cross Greater PA (@RedCrossGPA) July 1, 2022
According to Ms. Roschella, the Red Cross worked with Pittsburgh Regional Transit to procure two buses that evacuees used as a cooling center during the heat of midday, when temperatures reached 88 degrees.
“That was our goal, to make sure they were OK as we sort of evaluated the next steps,” Ms. Roschella said. “It took some time for the firefighters to figure out what was going on, if those residents would be able to get back in — if not, now we know that these 13 people will be staying in a hotel for now.”
First Published: July 1, 2022, 10:35 p.m.
Updated: July 1, 2022, 11:18 p.m.
