BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Over a dozen crews responded when an industrial fire at Bedford Valley Petroleum. broke out Thursday afternoon.
The call came in around 3 p.m, and officials said that fire and smoke were both visible from the location. First Assistant of McDonald’s Ashlee Fleegle described hearing a loud boom and seeing fire trucks heading to the scene when she got to work around 3 p.m.
“I came in at 3:00 today, and we had heard like a ‘boom,’ I think,” Fleegle said. “And I was inside, and it was on fire, and we were outside looking, and slowly the firetrucks started coming in all evening.”
Bedford County EMA Director Dave Cubbison said that no damage was done to the environment as the fire did not strike the propane tanks. However, there are residents who depend on Bedford Valley Petroleum for heating.
“There was no environmental impact that we found at this point. There were no large tanks involved in the fire, propane, and other fuels as such. But this place does provide home heating oil and other heating services to people’s homes,” he said.
About 150 firefighters from over 15 companies across four counties were on scene at one point. Cubbison said that companies such as McDonald’s and Subway helped provide firefighters with coffee and food as they battled the flames in the freezing temperatures and are extremely grateful.
“Anytime there is a large community event, any sort of outpouring, especially in these conditions, is appreciated,” Cubbison said.
“We always try to give back to the community, and it was really nice just to be able to help everybody out today,” Fleegle said.
Everybody got out of the building safely, and no injuries were reported. Cubbison said it’s a blessing they got away with no injuries considering the weather.
The state fire marshal will undergo an investigation into the exact cause of the fire.
Bedford Valley Petroleum issued the following statement:
We would like to give a big “THANK YOU” to the entire community for all of your support yesterday during the fire at our Bedford office and warehouse. We cannot say enough about the firefighters from Everett, Bedford and the surrounding areas who worked late into the evening under extremely cold conditions. We are so thankful that no one was injured and that the fire did not spread beyond the office and warehouse. Thank you to the local businesses who provided food and beverages and thank you to all of our customers who sent messages of concern. We are proud to be a part of this caring community and want to let everyone know we are still open for business and are making deliveries as scheduled. Please contact us at (814) 623-5151 with any questions.
Bedford Valley Petroleum
