A day after a Sunday morning fire tore through half of a duplex in New Kensington, residents are recovering from injuries and accepting community donations.
Firefighters were alerted just before 8 a.m. Sunday. When crews arrived, flames, which gutted the McCargo Street side of the house, extended into the attic and third floor of the Freeport Road side, destroying it as well, said New Kensington fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr.
The family of six who rented the McCargo Street side were left with nothing but the clothes on their back, said Nikki Bell, the mother of resident Jasmine Bell.
“Everything was completely destroyed,” Nikki Bell said. “She couldn’t even get her car keys, so her car is still there. None of her IDs, none of the kids’ birth certificates. I mean, they lost everything.”
The family did not have renter’s insurance and is not sure what they’ll do in the long term, but for now are staying with Bell in her Overbrook home, she said.
Bell set up a GoFundMe for the family, which received $350 of its $2,000 goal as of Monday night.
“Anything that people are willing to do is fine,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be monetary — that would help with a security deposit and rent and things like that to get them back on their feet — but whatever people can do is greatly appreciated.”
Roy A. Hunt Elementary School will take clothing donations through Wednesday and is pooling money from staff for gift cards for the family, said school counselor Stephanie Gardlock.
“They can drop them off at the security door,” Gardlock said.
Property owner Christina Vivola, her daughter Jessica Vivola and Jessica’s boyfriend, Nico Hastie, escaped the fire from the Freeport Road side, where they lived.
Jessica was treated for smoke inhalation from the fire.
First responders also saved their two dogs, a pet bird and fish, Christina said.
The family is staying with Christina’s brother-in-law but, on Monday afternoon, returned to the duplex to start boarding it up and to accept community donations.
Christina said through the week people can leave donations on the porch.
“Anything for the kids would be amazing,” she said.
The house is expected to be assessed by insurance adjusters Tuesday, and someone from the American Red Cross would also be stopping by to talk with Christina Vivola about further assistance, she said.
Hastie said the neighborhood immediately came to comfort and help the family.
“The community really helped us through trying times,” Hastie said.
Christina said the family heard screaming from the other unit, alerting the trio to leave the house.
Nikki said Jasmine was awoken by the smoke alarm, saw smoke coming from downstairs and when she went to check on it, saw the glow of flames about halfway down the staircase.
Jasmine, her boyfriend and their three young children escaped onto the porch roof through a window on the second floor.
The boyfriend jumped and Jasmine dropped the children to him, but when she jumped, she broke her leg, foot and ankle, Nikki said.
Jaeire Smith, Jasmine’s 18-year-old stepson, escaped the residence through a side door, Nikki said.
“He actually was helping his dad catch the kids,” Nikki said.
Jasmine is in a temporary cast and will meet with an orthopaedic surgeon Tuesday to schedule surgery, Bell said.
She was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital then transferred to UPMC Mercy, where her boyfriend was also treated for smoke inhalation.
The children — 10-year-old Jassir Smith and 4-year-old twins Ky and Greyson Smith — were treated for smoke inhalation at UPMC Children’s Hospital.
“The smallest twin still has a little bit of a cough. That’s Ky,” Nikki Bell said. “He’s still got a little bit of soot coming up in his spit, but the other twin and my 10-year-old, they seem to be pretty good. They haven’t complained of any pain or issues.”
Nikki said the family is distraught, but trying to figure out how they will get back on their feet.
“I’m just keeping in mind that I have to be strong for (Jasmine),” Nikki said. “It’s an overwhelming feeling when I walked in the hospital room and saw that my three grandbabies were able to look back at me and say my name — I don’t know how to explain that feeling.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, led by state police Fire Marshal Adam Derco, according to state Trooper Chet Bell.
New Kensington firefighters were helped by units from Arnold, Lower Burrell, Plum and Tarentum, Saliba said.
“They’re very fortunate. … They were seconds away from multiple fatal,” Saliba said. “There was a lot of heat and it was a very, very fast-moving fire.”
Saliba on Sunday said the fire was so hot it melted aluminum windows and may have exceeded 1,000 degrees.
Flames from the McCargo street side were mostly stopped by a fire wall, but extended over into the attic space and burned down into the third floor, he said.
The crew pulled off the roof with an aerial truck on the Freeport side and were able to stop the fire from spreading farther down, Saliba said.
It took firefighters nearly an hour to get the fire under control, he said.