Crime & Safety

Plum Garage Fire a Tough Battle on Freezing Morning

A fire in a New Texas Road garage on Thursday morning caused trouble for firefighters fighting freezing hoses and the possibility of high-octane fuel ignition.

A blast of heat shook up the otherwise freezing morning when a garage fire broke out Thursday on New Texas Road in Plum.

Fire crews were called to the scene at 560 New Texas Road at around 5 a.m. to find a full-size Winnebago engulfed in flames and surrounding contents of the garage beginning to ignite, Holiday Park Fire Department Chief Jim Reynolds said.

In addition to other vehicles such as ATVs and motorcycles, the private garage contained high-octane racing fuel.

"It was in the garage but fortunately did not ignite," Reynolds said.

Crews battled the flames but had problems with water supply due to freezing conditions.

"The hose lines were freezing up," Reynolds said.

Monroeville Fire Company Number Five responded with its water tanker apparatus to be used as a secondary water source, Reynolds said.

The fire's cause currently is unknown and the Allegheny County Fire Marshall is investigating.

No injuries were reported.

Crews remained on scene for about three and a half hours. Renton Fire Department was first on scene, followed by other companies including Holiday Park, Unity, Sardis and Monroeville Four and Monroeville Five.

Firefighters returned to the scene at 9:30 a.m., about an hour after leaving, to water down some of the area.

"There wasn't much on fire, but it was smoking," Reynolds said.

The RV had to be left as intact as possible for fire marshall investigations, leaving pockets of burning material that firefighters couldn't reach, he said.

The vehicle was most likely damaged beyond repair, Reynolds said.

There also was structural damage to the garage, including heat and smoke damage, he said.


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