As many of you know, every week we go and vist the men of Safe Haven in East Liberty. There we hang out, do a Bible Study, and enjoy the company of our friends. Three weeks ago, we were saddened with the news that their apartment complex had burned down. A few of the men were hurt, but not as badly as Chris Lin, who jumped out of his window and shattered both of his feet. Since the fire, all of the men have been moved to a new location. We still visit the men at least once a week, and their spirits are much improved, but things are still very hard. They have lost all of their belongings and Chris will be bedridden for 5 more weeks while his feet heal. Below is an article from WPXI about the fire…

East Liberty Fire Forces Residents From Apartment

PITTSBURGH (KDKA)

The fire started Sunday morning sending thick, black smoke pouring from the apartment building on Omega Place in East Liberty.
Pittsburgh firefighters rescued several residents in the bitter cold while flames and smoke ripped through an apartment building in East Liberty Sunday morning.

The fire started around 9 a.m. sending thick black smoke pouring from the building on Omega Place.
Firefighters say it may have started on the first floor.

“The first units arrived, found heavy fire in the first floor, and we found three people still up in the second floor area,” said Battalion Chief Keith Drudy, of the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau.

With temperatures hovering in the single digits, the residents were forced outside wearing very little clothing.

Officials say eight people lived in the building under the HUD “Safe Haven” program operated by the East End Cooperative Ministry.
The program provides permanent housing for chronically homeless people. The ministry was renting the building, but it plans to find alternative housing for the residents.

“They will be taken care of – they will have housing, they will have food, they will have everything,” said Myrna Zelenitz, the executive director. “We will do it with the help of our congregations and any help we can get. But they will all be taken care of.”
William Rodgers watched from his home across the street as firefighters carried a man down a ladder from the second floor window.
“I looked up and [saw] the fireman carrying somebody out [of] that window up there,” Rodgers.

Rodgers also said that another man was lying on the ground in front of the building. It is believed that he may have jumped from a window, but his condition remains unknown.

Three of the residents were taken to West Penn Hospital – one was treated for burns and the others for smoke inhalation.