Fire destroys Old Forge
gas station; no one hurt
OLD FORGE - A fire Wednesday engulfed a borough gas station and destroyed at least two cars inside the station's repair shop, but injured no one.
Around 5 p.m., Old Forge firefighters responded to the Sunoco gas station at 815 S. Main St., where a blaze had spread from the station's three garage bays to the roof, borough Fire Chief Mark Tagliaterra said.
At least two employees were inside the station at the time of the fire, but both escaped safely, Chief Tagliaterra said. With help from other Downvalley fire crews, firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze before it could spread to the gas pumps less than 20 feet away.
As of Wednesday night, it was unclear what started the fire or where it began. Chief Tagliaterra said the station and the attached repair shop are both destroyed, as well as the two cars inside the shop.
"Once we were able to get inside, we hit the automatic shutoffs and then PPL (Electric Utilities) cut the power to the building," said Chief Tagliaterra, who discussed the challenges of battling a fire in freezing temperatures. "You have frozen hoses and ice on the ground and ladders. It's a challenge to keep your footing."
Carrying a case of beer inside, Old Forge Beverage Co. employee Wayne Lloyd said from across the street he first thought the smoke pouring out of the roof was heavy snow.
By the time he returned from placing the case on a shelf, he saw "flames bursting from the station."
"It just exploded and spread quickly," he said. "I was just afraid it was going to reach a gas tank."
Sitting in the driver's seat of his parked County of Lackawanna Transit System bus, transit operator Tim Benford said he had just dropped off his only passenger at the bus stop across from the station.
When he looked up from closing the door, he saw a police car fly past him and a cloud of smoke pouring out of the station.
"The flames started in the interior of the building and then spread everywhere," he said. "I am just glad no one got hurt."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter