Convention center houses 18 Oakland fire victims

None of 74 apartment residents were injured

Eighteen people — seven of them children — spent the weekend on cots in one of the cavernous showrooms at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown after a large fire destroyed their Oakland apartment building Saturday.

“If you had a piece of tissue paper and lit it up, that’s how fast our houses went,” said Mischelle McMillan, 63, president of the tenants’ council at the building in the 2000 block of De Ruad Street.

“I just bought my grandson a whole bunch of bathroom and bedroom stuff, comforters, sheets, towels, everything so that he can be comfortable in college,” she said, tears running down her face. “All that stuff right now is waterlogged, soot- logged.”

Ms. McMillan said she stayed out on De Ruad Street, a tiny alley tucked behind Fifth Avenue, just to watch over her building until her daughter and granddaughter picked her up to make her take a shower and rest.

“I was back here [ at the convention center] this morning to check on my residents,” she said.

The fire, first reported shortly before 2: 30 p. m. Saturday, grew to five alarms and injured two Pittsburgh firefighters.

None of the 74 residents — the majority of whom were able to find temporary housing with family and friends — were injured.

But those who had nowhere else to go were taken by Port Authority bus around 8 p. m. to the convention center.

Tearful, scared and worried Sunday, the residents relied on Red

Cross staff members who helped them start case paperwork and made Walmart runs to buy them clothes.

Each resident was given a Red Cross booklet on what to do after a disaster, including how to replace vital documents and who to call for long- term help.

Some of the kids — who ranged in age from 1 to 13 — snacked on Jimmy John’s cookies from a catered lunch as their parents and staff tried to keep them entertained in the hallways.

With no showers available at the convention center, workers were hoping that better accommodations could be opened for the residents soon.

“We will be here as long as they need to be in a place, but hopefully the owner of the apartment complex will step up to help these folks,” said Paula Bauerle, shelter supervisor for the American Red Cross’ Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter.

The Allegheny Housing Rehabilitation Corporation, which manages the building, among roughly 2,000 other rental units in Allegheny County, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Ms. Bauerle said she expected the shelter to be open until at least Monday night but said she did not know for certain.

On Sunday afternoon, the air outside the De Ruad S t r e e t b u i l d i n g s t i l l smelled like charred wood. G l a s s f r o m b r o k e n windows littered the street, and caution tape wrapped around the building. Signs posted on the doors by the city’s Department of Licenses, Permits and Inspect i o n r e a d “I m m i n e n t Danger.”

The fire rekindled Sunday afternoon, and firefighters put it out in under an hour, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.

A public safety spokeswoman, Cara Cruz, said a cause hasn’t been determined yet.