Family Escapes Bridgeville House Fire

Three people were forced out of their Bridgeville home Thursday afternoon when a dryer in the basement caught fire and filled the residence with smoke.

Brianne Steck said the family was in the kitchen when they heard a “loud boom” in the basement at about 4:15 p.m. Steck’s mother, Cindy, went downstairs and told them the dryer was on fire and that they needed to leave the house at 716 Maple St. immediately.

Steck was able to get her 7-year-old son, Brady, out and they waited outside in the bitter cold for firefighters to arrive. The family’s three dogs also made it out, but their cat was nowhere to be found.

Firefighters from Bridgeville were able to extinguish the fire and eventually found the 16-year-old cat, Kitty-Kitty, alive inside.

“That was what I was really upset about,” Steck said.

Bridgeville fire Chief Bill Chilleo said the county fire marshal was looking at the dryer as the culprit. Chilleo said there was extensive fire damage to the basement, but only minor smoke damage to the rest of the house.

"There was some significant heat damage in the basement,” Chilleo said. “It pretty much burned that room up.”

When crews arrived on scene, they encountered a broken hydrant and another one that was clogged with frozen water. However, Chilleo said they had enough water in their tanker truck to fight the fire.

Firefighters from the Fairview, Presto and Upper St. Clair departments assisted at the scene.

Police temporarily closed a portion of McLaughlin Run Road and redirected traffic onto Ridge Road.