Gas station canopy topples in Monroeville

The canopy over gas pumps at a Sunoco gas station along Haymaker Road in Monroeville toppled over Tuesday evening, trapping two vehicles but injuring no one.

Both vehicles under the canopy, a car and a pickup truck, were empty during the collapse that occurred about 5:30 p.m., according to Monroeville officials.

“Fortunately, nobody was trapped in any of the vehicles underneath the canopy when it fell,” Monroeville Fire Department No. 4 Chief Scott Feyes told Trib news partner WPXI-TV.

“One gentleman in the red truck was just stepping away from the pumps when the canopy fell, so he was very fortunate. We did evaluate him, and he didn’t require any immediate emergency medical treatment. He was shaken up.”

Strong winds whipping across the region are thought to have contributed to the collapse, which is being investigated by Monroeville code enforcement officials.

Two pumps in the middle of the lot sustained major damage. Workers acted quickly to avoid a bigger disaster.

“The managers at the store turned the gas and the electricity off to the pumps immediately when this occurred,” Feyes said. “We were able to come in and mitigate the situation very quickly, got everybody from the immediate area removed and began evaluating the situation further.

“From our standpoint, we feel it’s a safe situation. We’ve closed the business. They’re going to remain closed, and we’ll help them out in any way if they need any additional service.”

It was unclear when the gas station might reopen.

Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MikeJdiVittorio.