Fire Destroys Pennsylvania Furniture Business

A fire Thursday destroyed a Donegal Township furniture refinishing business along Jones Mills Stahlstown Road near Route 31.

The blaze started just after 9:30 a.m. Emergency responders arrived to find the lower level of the business engulfed, said Dan Pribisco, assistant chief of Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Department.

“The basement was burning when we got here,” Pribisco said.

The blaze was put out in about an hour, according to Westmoreland 911 dispatchers.

Fire officials directed eastbound traffic on the road to Route 711 north while the westbound lane of Route 31 remained closed until the scene was cleared at about 11 a.m.

The building’s owner is Shane D. Montjar, according to Westmoreland County property records. Damage done by the fire was estimated at $80,000 by fire officials. No cause of the fire has been found.

In the afternoon, crews from several telecommunications companies worked to replace wires melted by the fire. Internet, cable and telephone access for several companies was cut to their customers while repairs were made. Nearly all service was restored by 3 p.m., officials from all the companies said.

A.J. Panian is an editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-547-5722 or apanian@tribweb.com