Canonsburg car dealer fires under investigation
Saturday, June 26, 2004
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The second suspicious fire in as many days at a Washington County auto dealership posed such danger Thursday that officials at one point ordered firefighters out of the building.
Canonsburg Assistant Fire Chief Tim Solobay said grease and other flammable materials at All Pro Auto Mall fueled a fire that spread through false ceilings and crawl spaces, weakening walls and destroying the roof.
Solobay described the fire as "monstrous," saying it destroyed about a half-dozen cars inside the dealership and damaged a similar number outside.
Damage to the building, contents and automobiles was estimated at $1 million. The state police fire marshal and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating.
Solobay identified the dealership owners as Vince and Kim Lo Castro of Peters. Vince Lo Castro, 41, is a multimillionaire who has dabbled in local politics and harness racing.
The couple could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Both fires began in a parts and storage area and were discovered while the used-car dealership was open for business, Solobay said.
The first fire, Wednesday evening, was quickly extinguished by employees. It had three points of origin, but the cause had not been determined, Solobay said.
Solobay said the state police fire marshal was at the dealership investigating that fire until about noon Thursday. The second fire broke out about five hours later.
Smoke and flames were billowing from the dealership, a complex of six or seven buildings, when firefighters arrived. Solobay said firefighters entered the dealership but later withdrew because of the danger caused by containers of paint, propane and acetylene, some of which exploded.
(Joe Smydo can be reached at jsmydo@post-gazette.com or 724-746-8812
AI
