Fire destroys Cove Mountain Wood Products shop
Losses estimated to top $1 million
Firefighters responded to a commercial fire at Cove Mountain Wood Products on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road on Wednesday evening. The wood shop building was destroyed, with losses estimated to top $1 million. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow
Firefighters responded to a commercial fire at Cove Mountain Wood Products on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road on Wednesday evening. The wood shop building was destroyed, with losses estimated to top $1 million. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow
Firefighters responded to a commercial fire at Cove Mountain Wood Products on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road on Wednesday evening. The wood shop building was destroyed, with losses estimated to top $1 million. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow
Firefighters responded to a commercial fire at Cove Mountain Wood Products on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road on Wednesday evening. The wood shop building was destroyed, with losses estimated to top $1 million. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow
Firefighters responded to a commercial fire at Cove Mountain Wood Products on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road on Wednesday evening. The wood shop building was destroyed, with losses estimated to top $1 million. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow
Firefighters responded to a commercial fire at Cove Mountain Wood Products on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road on Wednesday evening. The wood shop building was destroyed, with losses estimated to top $1 million. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow
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ROARING SPRING -- An evening fire on Wednesday destroyed the Cove Mountain Wood Products shop on the 4000 block of Cove Mountain Road and more than an estimated $1 million worth in products and structure.
"With all their stuff, I would imagine even the building itself and everything inside well exceeds $1 million," Friendship Fire Company Chief James Musselman said.
He said Friendship was dispatched at 7:03 p.m. for a commercial fire after a Martinsburg police car passing by the building noticed smoke.
"They called it in," he said.
Upon arrival, Musselman saw fire emerging through the back right section of the roof and spreading to the other side of the building.
"They have a lot of stains and chemicals, so there's a lot of flammable stuff," he said.
The fire companies believed there to be entrapments at first, but he said they later confirmed with one of the owners that they were the last ones in the building.
Musselman said their primary goal was to protect what he assumed to be the sales building beside the wood shop, "which we did, thankfully."
Their biggest challenge was obtaining enough water to fight the fire, he said, mentioning that they called in tankers. There was too much strain on a hydrant, so they switched to an alternative water source, a nearby pond in Martinsburg.
The metal roof collapsed while firefighters battled the blaze. He said an excavator would be called later that night to pull the pieces out.
The shop owner's brother, Vernon Sweigart, stood by the untouched building and watched firefighters extinguish the fire. He said his brother who owns the shop was out of the country, while his other brother who works in the wood shop recently left the building before it went up in flames.
"I saw (the fire) on Facebook, and I hopped in the car," Sweigart said.
Other responding emergency departments included: Saxton Volunteer Fire Co., Phoenix Volunteer Fire Co., Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Co., Blue Knob Volunteer Fire Co., Freedom Township Fire Co., Claysburg Volunteer Fire Co., Duncansville Fire Co., Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Co., Southern Cove Volunteer Fire Co., Alum Bank Volunteer Fire Co., Newburg-Hopewell Volunteer Fire Co., Lakemont Fire Co. and AMED.
"I pulled most from the county at this point," Musselman said.
The fire marshal was called to determine the cause of the fire. It is still under investigation.
Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.