Millsboro lumber store considered total loss in Saturday fire
Firefighters suspect a wood-burner heating system may have sparked a blaze that destroyed the main retail building of Millsboro Lumber and Hardware Saturday afternoon in Washington County.
No one was injured. The East Bethlehem Township business was evacuated when an employee reported the fire at about 2 p.m., East Bethlehem Fire Chief Mark Giovanelli said.
The building on Ark Avenue is considered a total loss, including an inventory with an estimated value of more than $1 million, Giovanelli said. According to its website, the business carries merchandise ranging from construction materials and tools to paint, pet supplies and sporting goods.
Giovanelli said a state police fire marshal has been asked to investigate because of the magnitude of the loss.
Volunteers from seven fire companies battled the fire for more than four hours and were able to keep the flames from spreading to two adjacent buildings where wood and other materials are stored.
They fire may have been smoldering since Friday, when the store was using the wood-burner portion of a combination gas furnace, Giovanelli said.
“They could smell wood burning, a little whiff every once in a while,” and later noticed the chimney was “very hot,” he said.
The staff called 911 when a worker discovered embers in the wood building’s eaves and smoke filling the furnace room at the front of the store.
Giovanelli believes the fire spread into the attic. When firefighters entered the main part of the store, he said, “A ceiling tile fell. There must have been enough air that it lit the whole building immediately.”
Firefighters retreated and attacked the fire from outside. “Once it burned through the trusses, the steel roof fell in. That was a layer we couldn’t penetrate with water from above,” Giovanelli said.
Firefighters remained at the scene for more than four hours. They doused hot spots on all four sides of the building, he said.
A team from Fayette County provided a warming station with coffee and water for the firefighters.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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