Fire crews from 16 area companies battled a three-alarm blaze Sunday at a warehouse in Ephrata Township.
The fire broke out at 10:17 a.m. at 501 Alexander Drive, a 1½-story building used primarily for storage, according to Ephrata fire Chief Allen Pettyjohn.
Businesses utilizing space in the structure include Ephrata Community Hospital, BS Wholesales, Four Seasons, Meke Inc., Davcon Relocation Services and Achey Construction.
Pettyjohn said the fire started in the basement, where clothing had been stored. He didn’t know to which business the items belonged.
Thick black smoke and the layout of the building made it difficult for crews to reach the source of the fire, the chief said.
“It’s a long building, and the fire was pretty much in the middle,” Pettyjohn said. “Combined with the black smoke, it took them quite awhile to find and reach the fire.”
Once the flames were extinguished – the blaze was rendered under control shortly after noon – it took firefighters several hours to ventilate the building, which doesn’t have many openings, he added.
Around 1:45 p.m., a second fire was reported on the first floor.
The chief said flames from the initial blaze crept up between the sidewall and floor and ignited a skid loaded with cardboard. That fire was extinguished quickly.
Pettyjohn said the cause of the fire was unknown Sunday night and said it is being investigated by a state police fire marshal.
The chief said there was nothing to suggest the blaze was deliberately set.
A damage estimate wasn’t available Sunday night. Pettyjohn said each of the businesses will need to determine a loss amount.
He said fire damage was contained mostly to the storage area where the fire started but said there likely would be a considerable amount of smoke damage throughout the building.
Pettyjohn said he didn’t anticipate a great deal of structural damage to the concrete structure.
No injuries were reported.
Firefighters used the parking lot of the former Ephrata state police barracks as a staging area.
The barracks was decommissioned in 2013.
– Staff Writer Tim Stuhldreher contributed to this report.
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