A five-alarm fire Wednesday morning at the Gulf Tower sent plumes of dark smoke rising from the top of the iconic Downtown skyscraper.
By 11:36 a.m., firefighters had managed to put the fire out, although smoke was still being ventilated out of the building.
Public Safety officials initially said a transformer caught fire in the building’s basement, but Pittsburgh fire Chief Darryl Jones said he could not confirm that until fire investigators probe the incident further.
“Once we get the environment down where it’s livable, we will let our investigators in there,” he said.
Firefighters told the chief that conditions in the basement were incredibly hot and very smoky. They also reported a lot of debris.
Chief Jones likened the heat in the basement to “being in an oven.”
The chief provided no clear timeline on when the basement would be ventilated. The smoke seen billowing from the top of the building Wednesday morning traveled through a ventilation shaft that is designed to funnel smoke out the roof.
The building was fully evacuated, public safety officials said. No one inside was hurt, although one firefighter was taken to a hospital after reporting chest discomfort. The firefighter’s condition is unknown, Chief Jones said.
“All in all, a great effort by everyone here,” public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said.
Source: 5-alarm fire sends smoke billowing out of Gulf Tower in Downtown | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
