Hangar, airplanes damaged in fire at Rostraver Airport
Photo courtesy of Rostraver Central Fire Department
A fire that started inside a hangar at Rostraver Airport heavily damaged two airplanes Wednesday morning, but the quick response from firefighters stopped it from spreading to other nearby aircraft shelters.
Firefighters were called to the airfield along Route 51 in Rostraver Township shortly before 9:45 a.m. and found a workshop area inside a privately-owned hangar engulfed in flames, Rostraver Central Deputy Fire Chief Justin Shawley said.
Shawley said crews from multiple departments were able to extinguish the fire in about 10 minutes, but two airplanes and another one that was being restored sustained heavy damage, along with two cars parked inside the hangar.
“The damage was contained inside the building. It was a straight-forward fire with no additional challenges because of the (airport) location,” Shawley said. “We work closely with the airport authority, so we’re familiar with (the location of) their bulk fuel storage and their high hazard materials.”
Shawley said there were numerous hangars in that section of the airport, so it was important for firefighters to quickly control the blaze before it could spread to others that house various ultra light and recreational aircraft. He identified the hangar’s owner as Francis Hicks of Forward Township.
Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said since the hangar is privately owned, it would be up to Hicks to contact his insurer and make repairs. Monzo said Hicks indicated he was interested in fixing the hangar, and the airport authority offered to assist him with that process, if needed.
“We told him we could help him any way we could,” Monzo said. “But we’re not involved with the maintenance of it.”
Monzo thanked firefighters for getting to the scene quickly and containing the blaze in about 10 minutes.
“They got a good knock down on it and it was pretty quick. … Amazingly, it stayed pretty well contained in that hangar, and didn’t do any damage to others,” Monzo said.
Shawley said a recent Federal Emergency Management Agency grant that gives stipends to on-duty firefighters helped with the quick response to get the first fire truck to the scene three minutes after the call.
“So that allowed us to have a quick response,” Shawley said. “We had people on duty, ready to respond and get on scene quickly. We can mitigate emergencies faster.”
The state police fire marshal investigated, and while his report has not been completed, Shawley said the blaze is not considered suspicious. Rostraver Central firefighters were assisted at the scene by crews from Webster, Collinsburg, Sutersville and Elizabeth Township, along with Rostraver-West Newton Emergency Services, Rostraver police and Westmoreland County Park police.