BEECHVIEW (KDKA) – An auto body shop in Beechview was damaged by fire Monday morning.

According to officials at the scene, the fire broke out at the shop in the 1700-block of West Liberty Avenue around 10:30 a.m.

When crews arrived at the scene, heavy smoke was pouring out of the front of the building. As a result, firefighters had to attack the fire from the rear of the building.

Initially, there were concern about flammable or toxic chemicals being inside the building.

“Not in the fire, but there were some chemicals in there that the owner made us aware of when we got on the scene. Some paint thinner and chemicals like that, but they weren’t involved in the fire,” one fire official said

The initial estimate valued the damaged at $70,000.

The shop’s owner and a customer were inside the building at the time of the fire, but both were able to escape safely.

The exact cause of the fire is currently unknown.

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