Crews battle fire at Greensburg Hose Company

Members of Greensburg Hose Co. No. 1 did not have to go very far to fight a fire Sunday morning because the fire was above them.

The fire that started in the attic at the fire hall at 6 McLaughlin Drive, Greensburg, caused between $5,000 and $6,000 in damage, Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Bell said.

The fire, which was reported at 11:45 a.m., was caused by an attic generator’s heated exhaust pipe that ignited roofing materials inside the attic, the chief said. The generator started operating when power was interrupted to the fire hall sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. as a result of an electrical malfunction on McLaughlin Drive, Bell said.

Some members of the hose company were at the building when the smoke was discovered, Bell said. The hose company’s fire trucks were pulled out of the fire hall and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters broke through the roof on the building to extinguish the fire. At times, smoke flames shot out of the small section of the roof.

Sheeting was placed over the hole in the roof to prevent any rain from damaging the building, Bell said. A roofing contractor will be hired to repair the roof. The building is covered by insurance.

The generator, which Bell said had to be turned off manually, was installed when the building was constructed in 1967. The chief said they would look into replacing that generator.

Greensburg firefighters were assisted by units from several neighboring departments, including South Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg and Hempfield. Firefighters were on the scene for more than an hour.