Heroic Acts Saved Lives From Ambridge Fire

A fire broke out shortly after 12:30am this morning in the Regency Court Apartment Complex at 300 4th Street in Ambridge.

Firefighters and police arrived on scene and began pulling several trapped victims through windows while helping others down ladders. Two individuals, including an unconscious woman, were carried from the building.

According to the Beaver County Emergency Services Center, 12 victims were treated in hospitals throughout the region, including 3 patients at UPMC Mercy, 4 at Heritage Valley Beaver, and 5 patients at Sewickley Valley. Three of those treated in Sewickley are firefighters who were suffering from exhaustion and smoke inhalation.

“I arrived on scene and there was just smoke pouring from everywhere” Ambridge Officer Timothy Depenhart told the Beaver Countian “people were hanging out of the windows.” Depenhart and others broke down doors and started making their way through the lower floors of the building. “I could only get up to the third floor, the smoke was just so thick. People were still sleeping, we were banging on doors telling people to get the hell out” Depenhart said.

“I woke up to the smell of smoke” said Cynthia McKenzie who lives on the 5th floor of the building “I tried to go through my front door to get down the stairs but there was just no way, I had to go back inside of my apartment.”

McKenzie was one of those Depenhart saw, hanging out of her window. “I was leaning out the window just screaming and yelling. I’m still so shook up… I thought I was going to die. But then I saw the police and the firefighters and I knew I was going to be ok. I knew they would save me.”

Rescue workers used a ladder truck to bring Cynthia and one other tenant down to safety.

According to Ambridge Fire Chief David Drewnowski, one firefighter from his unit was taken to the hospital to be treated for exhaustion after making 3 separate trips into the building to bring people out. Two firefighters from Harmony Township were also taken to Sewickley Valley for exhaustion and smoke inhalation.

Along with Ambridge and Harmony Township, Crescent, Fair Oaks, and Baden Fire Departments were also dispatched to the scene.

There were no fatalities inside of the building. As of the time of this report, all of those transported to the hospital for treatment had been released, with the exception of one couple who both remain in critical condition.

The American Red Cross is assisting those displaced by the fire. “Right now we’re sheltering 16 people at the American Legion nearby” said Scott Snyder, the group’s Executive Director for Beaver County.

Officials say the fire may have been caused by a bedside candle used by a tenant whose electrical service had been shut off. The State Fire Marshal’s Office will be investigating the blaze.

Photographs by John Paul