The Pittsburgh Steelers legend, Charlie Batch, built the Best of the Batch Foundation to give kids in his hometown a safe place to go. On Tuesday morning, that same building became the scene of a two-alarm fire. Dozens of children were inside when flames broke out at the Homestead nonprofit, sending crews rushing to contain a blaze that spread faster than anyone expected. The foundation says everyone made it out safe.

“Best of the Batch is aware of the concern about the fire that occurred on June 30th, 2026, at approximately 9 AM,” an official statement from Best of the Batch stated on X. “There were no campers inside at the time of the incident, and all individuals are safe. The well-being of our children, staff, volunteers, and families remains our highest priority. The foundation is working diligently with local fire, fire marshals, and other personnel to ensure the building is in a safe condition to resume the camp. Team Batch would like to thank first responders for their quick response and support from our community.”

Firefighters got the call shortly after 9 a.m. and headed to the building on West Street in Munhall. One firefighter ended up going to the hospital with a knee injury sustained while battling the flames. The extreme heat that day played a role, too, pushing the crew to call in a second alarm just to keep enough people on hand. Second assistant fire chief Matt Pisarcik summed up the real challenge once flames were under control.

“Trying to make sure we had enough people and getting them all hydrated, keeping them hydrated, because that’s going to be, you know, the main thing over the next week, especially, you know, this kind of stuff,” said Matt Pisarcik. “You can see people are sweating like crazy.”

As for how it started, the fire chief told WPXI a grill was likely to blame, with flames catching the back of the building. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s office looked into what caused the blaze and came back with a simple answer. It was accidental, tied to an unattended outdoor cooking setup, according to a WTAE report.

A photo from Munhall Volunteer Fire Company #4 backed that up, showing scorched black smoke damage and blue siding melted in one corner.

Batch said it could have been worse. The interior damage is minimal, and crews are already working to clear out the smoke smell before deciding when campers can return. It’s a relief that matters even more once you understand what this place actually means.

Charlie Batch gives back through Best of the Batch

Batch started the Best of the Batch nonprofit back in 1999, built around giving kids in his old neighborhood and across Southwestern Pennsylvania a real support system. According to the organization’s website, the mission has reached over 4,000 children and their families spanning nine counties.

“All our programs stem from our commitment to supporting community kids in all aspects of their lives,” offering “a place to go, an ear to listen, and the guidance to help them see—and work toward—the greater potential in themselves,” as the site puts it.

That kind of work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Batch became the first-ever recipient of the Jerome Bettis Award for Humanity and Community Service in 2006, honored for his foundation’s impact on local kids, along with his push to fix up neighborhood football fields and basketball courts. Six years later, he picked up the “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year Award, too, according to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League website.

His community work goes beyond the foundation itself. In 2002, he was awarded the Schramm-McCracken Award by the Three Rivers District of the Loyal Order of Moose for establishing the Charlie Batch Urban Pumpkin Patch and Gardens, an initiative that was designed to solve the problems of poverty and gang-related activities through youth employment.

On the football side, Batch made his mark too. The Detroit Lions picked him in the second round of the 1998 draft, 60th overall, and he ended up starting for the Lions through much of his first four seasons. He later won two Super Bowls, XL and XLIII, with the Steelers and finished his career with 11,085 passing yards, a 56.6 completion percentage, 61 touchdowns against 52 interceptions, and a 77.2 passer rating.

Off the field or on it, Charlie Batch has spent his whole career giving back to the place that made him.