Findlay house fire kills 2, 1 rescued individual expected to survive

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Two people were killed and another person was rescued in a house fire in Findlay early Saturday.

Findlay Township police Chief Michael Flaskos said first responders found the home at 111 Poplar St. engulfed in flames when they answered the 4:23 a.m. call from a resident of the home. Firefighters from multiple departments battled the blaze that eventually left the house a “total loss.”

Two of the three people who had been in the house died at the scene, while the third person’s injuries were not life-threatening, Chief Flaskos said. The victims’ identities had not been released by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office.

Chief Flaskos said two Findlay police officers were injured after arriving on scene before firefighters and entering through a back window in an attempt to the locate the people trapped inside.

“They went in the door to the next room, and there was such strong fire and smoke that they exited the house,” the chief said.

“And on the way out, one of my guys got tore up, his knee got tore up from [broken glass]. They only were able to get one person out who ended up going to the hospital with burn wounds and inhalation.”

Both officers were treated for injuries and smoke inhalation at the scene, he said.

Two dogs and a cat also perished in the blaze.

While no official cause had been released by the Allegheny Fire Marshal’s office, the fire does not appear to be suspicious in nature, the chief said.

The chief said the fire was extinguished “within a couple of hours,” but crews remained on scene until about 11 a.m., he said.

Chief Flaskos praised the group effort in fighting the fire, mentioning personnel from the Imperial Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Conway VFD, North Fayette Township VFD, the Red Cross, his own department and others.