Two families forced out of homes, into cold following fire

Two families, including 10 children, were forced from their home Saturday and into the cold.

Their home in the 1000 block of First Street in Verona caught fire and forced the family out around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Melissa Smith, a mother who lived in the downstairs apartment with her three children, said she heard screaming coming from the upstairs apartment shortly after 12:30 p.m.

Smith said once her neighbors yelled a second time, she realized her home was on fire.

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“I took my kids and everything I could possibly by the door and ran out,” Smith said. “Looked on top of the roof and it was covered with smoke.”

Smith’s family lives on the ground level, while her neighbors live upstairs in the duplex. That family had two adults and seven children living there, but Smith said both families lost everything.

According to Allegheny County emergency dispatchers, firefighters arrived on scene to heavy smoke pouring from one side of the duplex. The Fire Marshal was on scene investigating.

The American Red Cross is assisting both families.

Cox Media Group