4 Firefighters Die in Burning Building Collapse

BRACKENRIDGE, Pa. — The concrete floor of a burning building collapsed Friday, trapping four firefighters who died before rescuers could reach them.

As crews made five futile rescue attempts, flames surrounded the firefighters and the building continued to crumble, authorities said.

The fire at West Interior Services, a furniture refinishing business, was discovered by an employee Friday morning. More than 100 firefighters from about a dozen fire companies responded.

Six firefighters had entered the building, Allegheny County Fire Marshal John Kaus said. Within minutes, part of the concrete floor on which they were standing collapsed, leaving four firefighters trapped.

Flames from the basement swept through the first floor, and part of the ceiling above the firefighters also fell, Kaus said.

Firefighters abandoned rescue efforts around noon because the heat and flames made it impossible to find the men, he said.

Workers later used cranes to tear down the two-story building’s brick walls. The dead firefighters were found side-by-side on the floor, wearing oxygen masks, Kaus said.

When Kaus and other firefighters discovered the bodies, “I asked for a priest and we knelt down and said a prayer,” he said.

The victims’ names were not immediately released.

Kaus said the fire likely began in the basement, where the company stored flammable lacquers and solvents used for furniture refinishing. No one was in the building when the employee who discovered the fire arrived.

Brackenridge is about 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River.