Dogs killed in Smith fire that destroyed building
Three dogs were killed in a fire late Monday afternoon at a former gasoline station/convenience store that was turned into an apartment building on Steubenville Pike near Creek Road in Smith Township.
Slovan fire Chief Brandon Kriznik said there was heavy fire on the second floor of the building and smoke on the first floor when firefighters arrived after getting the call just before 4 p.m. He said only one of the four apartments in the building had a tenant.
“From what I understand, 911 was getting multiple calls about the fire,” Kriznik said, adding it is along busy Steubenville Pike, not far from the Robinson Township line.
Firefighters had to rely on tanker shuttles for water to fight the fire, including a larger tanker from Greater Pittsburgh International Airport.
“There were hydrants, but there was low water pressure,” Kriznik said. “We never had that problem before.”
He said a crew from Pennsylvania-American Water Co. came to investigate the cause of the problem..
Aside from the dogs, no injuries were reported in the fire. That stretch of Steubenville Pike was closed for about five hours, Kriznik said, although school bus traffic was not affected.
A state police fire marshal will be asked to investigate the cause.
Assisting at the scene with the tanker shuttle in addition to the crew from the airport were firefighters from Midway, McDonald and Hanover, Jefferson and Mt. Pleasant townships. Burgettstown firefighters were on standby.