A Beaver County auto repair man said he is lucky to be alive after his garage exploded in flames Saturday evening while he was inside.

Sam Botinovch, owner of Sam’s Auto Salvage and Repair in Pulaski Township said, “Honestly — I don’t know what happened. It just exploded. I pulled a car in (the garage), went into the office, and that’s all she wrote.”

Botinovch said he ran over with a fire extinguisher but the garage was engulfed: “I couldn’t do anything but call 911.”

Botinovch was alone in the repair shop and wasn’t hurt.

His wife, Jodi, was in their house next door and didn’t immediately know that.

“I was in the living room when I heard the explosion and thought ‘(expletive) — my garage is on fire and my husband is in there!”

The garage is in the 3400 block of 47th Street. It’s off Rochester Road between Rochester and New Brighton.

During the fire, there was a series of explosions that startled neighbors.

Although firefighters arrived within minutes of the explosion, which happened about 6:15 p.m., the building was fully engulfed and clouds of thick smoke billowed in the sky.

Pulaski Township fire Chief Alan Hickey said officials weren’t immediately sure what started the fire and it remains under investigation.

He said there were a series of explosions caused by acetylene tanks, a fuel tank and other materials typically found in a repair shop.

Hickey said there was no indication that the explosions damaged nearby houses.

Volunteers from about a dozen fire companies responded.

Botinovch said he’s had some tough luck recently. He crashed his car on black ice just before Christmas and had to be airlifted after suffering multiple broken bones.

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