CMKM Diamonds Inc. (fka CMKX)

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Friday, June 25, 2004

Second suspicious fire in 2 days destroys Canonsburg dealership

By T.M. Menees, Staff writer

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CANONSBURG - The man couldn't stand still.

He paced for hours along South Central Avenue, scratching his head and talking to cohorts.

With over a million dollars up in smoke, not to mention the second fire at his business in as many days, only one word was necessary to explain what he, the fire marshal and Canonsburg Fire Department officials were thinking about Thursday's fire at All Pro Auto Mall.

Suspicious.

The fire started about 5:10 p.m. in the storeroom of the auto dealership owned by Vince LoCastro at 108 S. Central Ave. Ten minutes later, enormous gusts of black smoke were bellowing from the building, covering a portion of downtown Canonsburg. The smoke was so dense it blocked the sun to onlookers standing in front of the dealership.

The blaze attracted more than 150 people who lined South Central Avenue and the intersecting streets of Elm and Harrison, many of them rolling video cameras and snapping photos.

"I'm speechless," said LoCastro, who estimated the damage at more than $1.5 million.

As many as six fire departments battled the inferno, which was in control by 7:15 p.m., Assistant Fire Chief Tim Solobay said.

But for those two hours, it was raging.

Jamie Prince, an employee with the auto mart, was working when the fire began.

"It began with a fire in the back room, and by the time we ran out, the whole building was in flames," Prince said.

Prince said that earlier in the day, 12 vehicles were purchased at auction. "They are gone," he said.

"This is something you just don't see every day," said a man to himself after shooting a picture across the street.

Vehicles and tractor-trailers slowed almost to a standstill on the overpass along Interstate 79 south, about 250 yards east, to catch a glimpse.

By 6 p.m., friends and neighbors had convened, some drinking wine and others coffee outside houses within shouting distance of the fire.

Periodic blasts, most likely from pressurized gas or propane tanks within the burning structure, would startle the gathered crowds, forcing police to seal the perimeter with yellow tape.

A second round of thick smoke started again at 6:25 p.m., flowing downwind, shuffling the crowd.

"This is the most action this town has ever seen," said local resident Mick Shuble.

At 7:02 p.m., firefighters got the break they needed when the roof collapsed.

"We couldn't do what we wanted," Solobay said. "We tried a defensive attack by surrounding the fire."

With the roof down, firefighters in raised ladders from fire trucks hovered over the blaze and doused it with water.

Solobay said Thursday's blaze was the biggest in Canonsburg this year, adding that since the structure had received many additions over the years, it made the fire much more difficult to extinguish.

"Anytime there is a commercial fire, it is much more complex than a residential," he said.

Solobay said they know where the fire originated, and along with a state police fire marshal, will investigate Friday morning. The same crew investigated Wednesday afternoon's fire, which caused minimal damage and also was ruled suspicious.

He said fire crews would be on hand throughout the night.

"I don't have to assess this," LoCastro said. "It's a total loss."

Firefighters, however, were able to retrieve important records and documents from the business' office, but for now the question of arson lingers thicker than the evening's heavy smoke.

"Does this worry me?" LoCastro said. "Absolutely."

http://www.observer-reporter.com/280826345611790.bsp