Post by eng451 on Nov 13, 2009 7:25:04 GMT -5
Furnace Blamed for Pa. Shop Blaze
By ROSCOE BARNES III Staff writerPublic Opinion (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)
Posted: Thu, 11/12/2009 - 01:38
WAYNESBORO -- A Tuesday morning fire caused by a furnace inside an upholstery shop in Waynesboro resulted in $65,000 worth of damage, according to Deputy Chief Shawn Adolini of Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Department.
The fire occurred around 7:30 a.m. at Fortney's Upholstery and Fortney's Patio, 8673 Wayne Ave., according to Jim Fortney, who owns the business with Sam Freeman.
No one was injured in the fire that caused considerable damage to the south end of the building. Adolini said the south end sustained most of the fire damage and the north end of the building sustained more heat and smoke damage.
Fire and rescue units had the fire under control in 10 to 15 minutes, Adolini said. "It took about an hour to overhaul."
Adolini said the cause of the fire was a furnace malfunction.
According to Fortney, he had turned the thermostat up from 60 to 70 degrees and went outside to another building. He said he was gone only five minutes when he returned to find the building on fire, he said.
His wife, Donna Fortney, said she looked out the window from their home nearby and saw smoke coming from the door and window of the upholstery shop: "I thought there was an accident. There's always an accident on this road."
"When I come back from the other building, I seen the smoke coming out from around there and I thought, 'What's going on?'" Jim Fortney said. "When I come in to open the door there, it was just full of smoke. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and seen there was a flame there above the furnace."
Jim Fortney said he tried to put the fire out but to no avail.
Donna Fortney said a motorist driving by the area saw the smoke and called 911 on a cell phone.
Linda Baker of Greencastle had just arrived at work at Baer's Grocery when she heard the call over the police scanner. She went outside and saw the building, which is down the road and across the street from her business, she said. Smoke and flames were billowing from the building, she said.
Fortney said he plans to rebuild.
Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Department received assistance from other units, including those from Waynesboro, Blue Ridge Summit, South Mountain, New Franklin, Greencastle, Marion, Chambersburg and Franklin County.
Those from Maryland included Leitersburg and Raven Rock.
The units responded in the way they did because the call came for a commercial building that had combustible material inside, Adolini said.
By ROSCOE BARNES III Staff writerPublic Opinion (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)
Posted: Thu, 11/12/2009 - 01:38
WAYNESBORO -- A Tuesday morning fire caused by a furnace inside an upholstery shop in Waynesboro resulted in $65,000 worth of damage, according to Deputy Chief Shawn Adolini of Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Department.
The fire occurred around 7:30 a.m. at Fortney's Upholstery and Fortney's Patio, 8673 Wayne Ave., according to Jim Fortney, who owns the business with Sam Freeman.
No one was injured in the fire that caused considerable damage to the south end of the building. Adolini said the south end sustained most of the fire damage and the north end of the building sustained more heat and smoke damage.
Fire and rescue units had the fire under control in 10 to 15 minutes, Adolini said. "It took about an hour to overhaul."
Adolini said the cause of the fire was a furnace malfunction.
According to Fortney, he had turned the thermostat up from 60 to 70 degrees and went outside to another building. He said he was gone only five minutes when he returned to find the building on fire, he said.
His wife, Donna Fortney, said she looked out the window from their home nearby and saw smoke coming from the door and window of the upholstery shop: "I thought there was an accident. There's always an accident on this road."
"When I come back from the other building, I seen the smoke coming out from around there and I thought, 'What's going on?'" Jim Fortney said. "When I come in to open the door there, it was just full of smoke. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and seen there was a flame there above the furnace."
Jim Fortney said he tried to put the fire out but to no avail.
Donna Fortney said a motorist driving by the area saw the smoke and called 911 on a cell phone.
Linda Baker of Greencastle had just arrived at work at Baer's Grocery when she heard the call over the police scanner. She went outside and saw the building, which is down the road and across the street from her business, she said. Smoke and flames were billowing from the building, she said.
Fortney said he plans to rebuild.
Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Department received assistance from other units, including those from Waynesboro, Blue Ridge Summit, South Mountain, New Franklin, Greencastle, Marion, Chambersburg and Franklin County.
Those from Maryland included Leitersburg and Raven Rock.
The units responded in the way they did because the call came for a commercial building that had combustible material inside, Adolini said.