By David Matthews
New York Daily News
JEANNETTE, Pa. — Four children and one adult are dead following a house fire in Jeannette, Pennsylvania.
Fire Chief Bill Frye told CBS Pittsburgh that eight people were inside the home before the fire started around midnight on Wednesday.
One adult and two children were rescued from the blaze.
“It’s a very sad night here in Jeannette,” Frye said at the scene. “Please keep the family and the first responders that responded tonight in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks here in the city.”
He added that “some complications” with the water supply from a hydrant and the intensity of the fire upon arrival prevented rescuers from saving everyone in the house.
“We had an issue with the water supply,” Frye said. “The first hydrant that we hit gave us a little bit of water but not even enough to make it up the hill to the scene, so we did run off of tank water at one point. At that point, the fire was well involved and we had to pull our guys out.”
The fire spread to a house next door, but the occupants were able to escape without injury.
Both homes were completely destroyed by the flames.
The names of the victims were not released. According to TribLive, a 27-year-old man and several children under the age of seven were deceased. A woman and two children who were rescued from the house were taken to Pittsburgh hospitals in unknown conditions.
Chief Frye said a city firefighter fell and broke their elbow at the scene.
State Police fire marshals are leading the investigation into the cause of the blaze.
Jeannette is about 27 miles east of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County.
The fire comes a week after a house explosion left two dead in nearby Crescent Township, roughly 50 miles to the northwest.
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