Oakmont Fire, Explosion Prompts Evacuation
OAKMONT (KDKA) -- Neighbors were evacuated after a fire and explosion at a construction company in Oakmont.
Emergency officials say 25 workers were inside Folino Construction Company when the fire started around 2 p.m. on Dark Hollow Road.
"There [were] people working inside and I think they were using some – either torches or some grinders that might have started this situation," Oakmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bill Peoples said. "I'm not sure what happened after that – I haven't made the contact with those people at this time."
The fire was tough for responding crews.
"It was very difficult. The building was massive and making entry with water lines – we had a lot of problems initially," Peoples explained. "One hydrant is probably 200-feet away and the other hydrant's a mile down the road and just getting water here ended up being a problem for us."
Despite the challenges, no one was hurt.
"Talked to the employees and our greatest concern was the safety of the employees," Oakmont Police Chief David Disanti said. "We did get an evacuation and we feel we'll get everybody out safely so that was a good thing."
The company specializes in repaving which is why they had so many cars and oil around.
The nearby Commons of Oakmont was evacuated because of the smoke.
"We have some elderly people and we had some concerns so as a precaution we did do some evacuations, got them to safety," Disanti said. "We immediately called the county fire marshal to give them - convey the information of what we had as far as the type of solvents, the type of chemicals in the building to make sure we didn't have any threats. He felt okay."
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