BRENTWOOD, Pa. — Grieving family members gathered at a Brentwood home Thursday hours after an explosion and fire killed one person.
That fire spread to a neighboring home on Hillman Street, but officials said the fire started in a one-car garage situated between the two – a structure that is now completely gone.
“There was a garage structure between the two homes,” said Allegheny County emergency services Chief Matt Brown. “The victim was found in that area. I would be speculating at this point as to what that cause would be.”
Daniel Bejster told Channel 11 when he heard a loud explosion behind his house he grabbed his cell phone and started rolling.
“Just a big boom shook my house,” he said. “Threw my boots on and ran up the hill.”His
recording shows thick smoke billowing off the garage and the intensity of the fire as it spread.
“I heard a big bang,” said one neighbor. “Rocked all the houses on the street and a couple streets down.”
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Neighbors ran out of their houses to see what happened, including one woman who broke her ankle when she ran to help.
“Given a look at the scene, it appears that there does appear to be an explosion of some sort,” Brown said. “The gas company is on scene, they have secured the gas, there is no hazard to the neighborhood. And it’s not known or confirmed that the gas had anything to do with that explosion.”
Two firefighters were injured and treated at the scene.
One of the homeowners was getting items from the damaged home next door. They said their home is damaged, not destroyed.