RACHEL WEAVER
Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Larry Wiest knew Brittany Aquino as a "beautiful person" who always took time to chat with neighbors and help people in need.

That's why Wiest, 52, ran into a burning building early Saturday to try to save Aquino and others from a blaze that ripped through their home in the 300 block of 10th Street in Sharpsburg.

"I didn't even think," said Wiest, a former volunteer firefighter and current member of the Sharpsburg fire police. "When you're a trained firefighter, when people are running out, you run in."

The fire was too much, and Aquino, 23, and her boyfriend, Matthew Sutton, 24, of Plum, died in an attic bedroom. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner said the two died of burns and smoke inhalation.

Neighbors called 911 just after 1 a.m. Saturday. Aquino's two small children, ages 1 and 2, were staying the night at their father's home. Aquino and Sutton had been dating for about a month, Wiest said.

Sharpsburg fire Chief Lou Costanzo said the Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the blaze. He expects a report within four weeks to detail its cause.

Wiest's son, Christopher, 19, alerted him to the fire a little after 1 a.m. The elder Wiest ran barefoot to the house, made it to the second floor and helped get Aquino's mother, Belinda, a friend and a dog out of the house.

He tried to reach the third floor, where he feared Aquino's children were sleeping. As flames engulfed the room, Wiest called out to Brittany. From the second floor below, he could hear Christopher urging him to get out.

"The smoke and flames came over me," he said. "I had to get out."

Wiest said Brittany's body was found about four feet from where he had stood and called her name.

"I wish I could have done more," Wiest said. "God rest her soul."

Aquino's neighbors knew her as a devoted mother.

"The only good thing that came from this is that her two kids weren't with her," said neighbor Debbie Ostronic, 48. "She was a great mother. She was really good with kids and took really good care of everyone's needs."

Ostronic said she stood with Aquino's mother while firefighters battled the blaze.

"She didn't even believe it," Ostronic said. "She kept trying to call Brittany on her cell phone and couldn't understand why she wouldn't answer."

Costanzo last saw Aquino on Good Friday, when she offered the fire chief a lift to the local fire station where he was headed for a fish fry.

"I knew her very well," said Costanzo, 56. "I feel so bad for her mom."

The only sign of damage from outside the house was charring around an attic window. Chunks of pink insulation lay in the space between Aquino's home and the neighbor's.

At the home's front door yesterday, mourners had left Easter lilies, carnations and cards. Above them, "No Trespassing" signs covered the entrance.

Donna Costanzo, the fire chief's wife, remembers watching Aquino as a child play with friends in the neighborhood. When she saw the blaze, Donna Costanzo grabbed a sheet, wet it and held it over her head, then entered the home to help get people out.

"The fire was just rolling through," she said.

The loss is a blow to the close-knit community, Costanzo added.

"Everybody cares and everybody helps," she said. "To lose a child -- I can't even imagine the grief."

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april 25, 2011