One person killed in apartment building fire in Port Vue

PORT VUE, Pa. — One person was killed Monday morning in an apartment building fire in Port Vue.

Investigators said flames broke out at the apartment building in the 300 block of San Juan Drive just after 10 a.m.

A tenant who is deaf and her brother were inside the unit that caught fire.

"You have the smoke detectors and they all work. But what can you do when you can't hear it?" said Brian Oliscar, who lives above the apartment that caught fire.

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As soon as he smelled the smoke, he said he ran for his life with no shoes, just the clothes on his back.

The first police lieutenant who arrived at the scene told Channel 11 that when he got to the apartment building, he spotted a woman standing on the front porch screaming "My brother's inside! My brother's inside!"

“My grandmother figured it was probably the brother because he was on oxygen and everything,” said neighbor Robert Wahrenberger.

Port Vue officials told Channel 11 they heard oxygen tanks explode, making the flames worse.

Although the medical examiner's office hasn't identified the victim, officials confirmed that the woman's brother, who was on oxygen, died in the fire.

A few people were taken to surrounding hospitals and are expected to be OK.

Channel 11 has learned several people have been displaced from their apartments because of the fire.

The Red Cross is assisting about half-dozen people.

Cox Media Group