Fire engulfs, destroys countertop business

The cause of a devastating fire that destroyed a business remained under investigation Wednesday morning in Armstrong County.

Blume's Solid Surface on Freeport Road in South Buffalo Township went up in flames around 6 p.m. Tuesday. The company specializes in kitchen countertops and has been in business for 25 years.

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"I've never quite worked for a company like this," said employee Bob Waltz. "Coming here and seeing this, I liked working for this place. They were great owners, great people to work for. They went above and beyond everything."

When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting from all sides of the building. They encountered water issues when hydrants were frozen due to the extreme cold.

Several hours and more than 100 firefighters were needed to get the four-alarm blaze under control. Nobody was hurt in the fire.

The entire facility was destroyed, except for a few walls that are still standing.

South Buffalo Township Fire Chief Randy Brozenick says the fire appears to have started when an engine block heater caught fire in a truck that was parked behind the building in a loading area.

A state police fire marshal was investigating the fire, which spread rapidly in part because materials used to finish the countertops also burned.

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Fire engulfs, destroys countertop business