Man who died in Brownsville fire identified; cause of blaze undetermined
A 34-year-old man was identified as the person who died when his top-story Brownsville apartment caught fire early Sunday.
State police identified the man as Vernon Pratt Sr..
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, said state police Trooper Robert Broadwater. A state police fire marshal is investigating.
Six other people were displaced. They are being assisted by the American Red Cross, according to Dan Tobin, regional Red Cross spokesman.
The fire started about 12:50 a.m. Sunday at the Second Street apartment building. The layout of the building presented a challenge for firefighters. It took about one hour for firefighters to douse the blaze enough for crews to safely access the top floor, officials said Sunday.
The fire was contained to the top floor of the building. The rest of the building was damaged by smoke and water.
Eleven fire departments responded to the scene, along with EMS and a rehab service.
Pratt’s friends and family expressed shock and sorrow on social media, describing him as a “good man,” “family protector” and “life of the party.”
Sunday’s fire was the fourth fatal fire in Fayette County in 2019. On Jan. 8, 7-year-old Ryleigh Weasenforth and her 5-year-old brother, Gunner Weasenforth, died when they became trapped in their bedroom in South Union Township. On Feb. 10, 96-year-old Clare Geary was rescued from a fire at his Saltlick Township home, but later died from injuries. On March 28, 70-year-old Sylvia Lavitsky died when her Point Marion home caught fire.