Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch's nonprofit foundation was briefly forced to deal with an accidental fire at its Homestead, Pennsylvania, campus.

The Alleghany County Fire Marshal's office confirmed in a WTAE report that the fire was accidental and was caused by an "unattended outside cooking operation." The organization later released a statement on X reassuring the public that everyone was safe.

"There were no campers inside at the time of the incident, and all individuals are safe," they wrote, "The well-being of our children, staff, volunteers, and families remain our highest priority. The foundation is working diligently with local fire, fire marshals, and other personnel to ensure the building is in safe condition to resume camp."

Marcie Ciprani of WTAE reported that the fire broke out on June 30th after 9 a.m. While trying to contain the fire, one firefighter got injured and was taken to the hospital due to a knee injury.

The foundation also extended its gratitude to the first responders for their prompt response.

Batch said crews are on the ground clearing out the smoke smell and cleaning the interior, with minimal damage reported inside the building. Campers could be back as soon as the work wraps up, per Ciprani.

For the Steelers, Batch was nothing short of a superstar. He won two Super Bowls with them in the 2005 and 2008 seasons. He appeared in 33 games, starting nine with a record of 6-3, and had over 2000 passing yards and 12 touchdowns.

This news was obviously shocking to many, especially those belonging to the Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Charlie Batch's gift to the community

Charlie Batch grew up in the quiet neighborhood of Homestead. With a strong attachment to his roots, he wanted to do something for his people. The graduate of Steel Valley High School started the nonprofit foundation as a means of giving back to his community.

This organization provides year-round educational programming to more than 4,000 children ages 5 to 18 across nine western Pennsylvania counties.

According to the Batch Foundation, the idea is to provide financially challenged communities with the purpose and resources to give their best efforts.

The Batch Foundation has been working to open doors for communities across more than nine southwestern Pennsylvania counties, giving kids and families the tools and resources to build better futures for themselves, since 1999.

With cleanup already underway and only minimal damage reported, the foundation hopes to resume its programs as soon as possible.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Rudra Dubey