ELLWOOD CITY (KDKA) – Police are investigating after a young man allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed his SUV into a garage, which caused a fire.

Ellwood City firefighters arrived to find a three-car garage on Woodside Avenue engulfed in flames.

Police believe the fire started when a 19-year-old man lost control of SUV on Route 65 and crashed into the building.

Firefighters kept flames from spreading to the home attached to the garage although. However, aluminum siding melted from the intense heat.

They were unable to save the garage and its contents, which were valued at thousands of dollars.

The home owners were in a front room, which was almost hit by the runaway vehicle. A relative is also feeling lucky because he was planning to work on his truck in the part of the garage where the crash occurred.

Neighbors weren’t surprised by the crash and have been asking for a guardrail along the stretch of highway for years.

The 19-year-old was able to escape before the garage became fully engulfed and there are no reported injuries.

RELATED LINKS

More Local News
More Ellwood City News
More Reports From Bob Allen