Boy trapped in burning Pittsburgh-area home rescued after calling mom's cellphone

INGRAM, Pa. (KDKA) -- An 11-year-old boy trapped inside a burning home in Ingram used his cell phone to call his mom and help firefighters find him.

Pittsburgh firefighters said they were called to help with a fire on Leslie Street just before 10:45 p.m. When they got there, a woman said her son was trapped up on the third floor, where arriving crews had reported heavy smoke.

The boy used his cell phone to call his mom, telling her he was in a low closet area up on the third floor, firefighters said.

The chief in command asked if the child could yell so firefighters could hear him, but his mom said he couldn't. So the chief told the mom to tell her boy to bang on the wall instead.

Crews made their way to the third floor and found the boy in a small storage closet. He was conscious and alert and was taken to medics for evaluation.

In a post on social media , the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire thanked those involved in the rescue, writing, "Excellent work by all!"

Officials didn't say how the fire might have started.