A massive fire early Saturday spanned multiple structures along Orr Avenue in Kittanning, displacing up to 10 residents and leaving a storage facility in a pile of rubble, fire officials said.
No one was injured in the blaze, which began at about 1 a.m., said Kittanning Fire Department Chief Buzz Kline.
More than 100 firefighters fought the intense flames for six hours in temperatures that only reached into the mid-20s.
It left them cold, tired and hungry — but thankful that so many turned out to help, Kline said.
“We’re just very appreciative,” said Kline, chief for more than three decades.
The fire marshal was on the scene to investigate but has not determined the cause or damage estimate.
Flames destroyed the former Mervis furniture store that operated most recently as a storage facility.
“The furniture store goes way back,” Kline said. “I think they went out of business in the late 1960s. The front wall collapsed onto the street, and it’s totally burnt down into a pile of rubble.”
The fire gutted apartments on either side of the old Mervis site, too.
“There’s no roof on either building,” Kline said.
Up to 10 residents were displaced. They were being assisted by the American Red Cross.
More than 26 emergency services came from across the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond to fight the fire, and 18 fire units from Armstrong County.
At least one ambulance service came from Murrysville.
There were various other groups that showed up with coffee and food for the emergency workers.
“We can’t thank them enough for what they did,” Kline said.
