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Fire at South Strabane apartment complex sends 6 to hospital

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Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter

The kitchen fire started in apartment 613 of the high-rise building. Here are the remains of that apartment.

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Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter

An early morning fire Dec. 23 killed one and injured five other residents of the Thomas Campbell Apartments in South Strabane Township.

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The sixth and seventh floors of the apartment complex suffered the most damage . Evidence of that can be seen in the debris of this sixth-floor apartment.

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Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter

Christmas decorations were among the many items damaged in the blaze.

Six people were hospitalized and several were displaced from their residences after a blaze early Thursday morning at Thomas Campbell Apartments in South Strabane Township.

South Strabane Fire Chief Scott Reese said his department received the call shortly before 12:30 a.m.

Reese said initially the call was for a residential fire alarm, but it was upgraded to a kitchen fire in apartment 613 at the apartment complex on 850 Beech St.

“It took probably around 45 minutes to an hour to get the fire totally under control, then we started doing salvaging and overhaul,” Reese said.

Reese added that fighting the fire became challenging once an abundance of smoke and heat crept into the common area and the hallways.

“A lot of people went out to the balcony to let us know where they were,” he said.

Reese said each of the building’s seven floors sustained some sort of damage, with the sixth and seventh floors sustaining the most.

Brandon Stanick, township manager, said 53 residents were displaced from their apartments.

Arthur Keys, chairman of the board of directors for Thomas Campbell Apartments, added that those who had to be relocated were taken to the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel on Sheffield Street. American Red Cross coordinated the housing for these people.

“We’re working to help all of the residents recover belongings and find more longer-term housing,” Keys said. “We have six people who were taken to the hospital.”

Keys did not comment as to the extent of their injuries or conditions, but did say he was not aware of any fatalities.

Stanick said one of the injured was in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon. He added the township will help to facilitate any residency once the arrangements Red Cross has made expire.

The plan is to rebuild the damaged apartments to get the residents back to their homes as quickly as possible, Keys said.

“We’re doing what we can to get everything in tip-top shape as soon as possible,” he said. “I don’t know how long that may take, but we hope it will be short-term, not long-term. We would hope this is a short-term dislocation.”

Thomas Campbell Apartments offer affordable housing for seniors and currently houses 225 residents in 124 units. There are one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, as well as a few efficiencies.

The Thomas Campbell North Apartments and the nearby cottages were not affected by the fire.

A fire remediation team was on site Thursday.

“They’re sorting through the damage, documenting everything,” Keys said.

Reese said the fire is under investigation by the state police fire marshal.

Apartment residents actually participated in a fire drill this year with the South Strabane Fire Department. Keys said that came in handy at the time of the fire.

“It was a very orderly evacuation,” Keys said. “(Residents) were scared, but the training paid off.”

Keys praised firefighters for their work.

Reese agreed that everyone involved did great work.

“All responding agencies did a great job,” Reese said. “It took a lot of resources to bring that fire under control.”

South Strabane, Washington, Canton Township, North Strabane and Chartiers Township fire departments all responded to the scene. North Franklin Township was on standby. Emergency Medical Service personnel also were on hand.

The apartment complex celebrated its 50th anniversary in September. The apartments are named for Thomas Campbell, an Irish immigrant who settled in Washington in the early 19th century and founded the Disciples of Christ. The Disciples of Christ are now known as the Christian Church, and the organization continues to sponsor Thomas Campbell Apartments.

Keys said there was a fire at the complex about a year ago, but it was confined to just one unit and there was no serious damage.

“As far as I know, this was the first major fire,” he said.

Obviously, Keys was sad about the fire, saying he grew up in the area.

“I’m not only the chairman of the board, I’ve got relatives here,” Keys said. “We’re praying for the people who received injuries.”

Having the fire happen just two days before Christmas adds to the emotions that may be felt.

“It makes the celebration of Christmas Eve even more important,” Keys said.

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