Published on November 01, 2025
UPDATE #2: At approximately 2:45 p.m., on November 2, 2025, the Fire Investigation Unit located a deceased adult male inside the structure. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death. At this time, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
UPDATE: The Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections has awarded the contract for the emergency demolition. The first step in this process will involve securing the structure to allow investigators to safely search for the individual who remains unaccounted for. Recovery efforts are set to begin on November 2, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
Original post:
Just after midnight, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire responded to a 2-alarm structure fire in the 700 block of Hillsboro Street in the Sheraden neighborhood.
A police patrol unit discovered the fire and observed flames coming from the second floor of the structure. During the incident, the structure suffered a partial collapse, causing the roof and third floor to fall onto the second floor.
At this time, one adult male is believed to have been inside the structure and remains unaccounted for. Pittsburgh Police utilized drones to assist in search and rescue, but were unable to locate anyone.
The Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections has been notified and will develop a demolition plan as well as assist with possible recovery efforts.
Firefighters have established a fire watch at the scene and extinguished two subsequent flare-ups, one at approximately 4:45 a.m. and another at 7:20 a.m. Police will remain on the scene until the building is demolished.
The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.