A fire destroyed a detached garage in Delmont Tuesday afternoon, along with two cars and a truck inside.
Nobody was hurt.
The garage, located on Berry Lane behind West Pittsburgh Street, is near several homes. Police evacuated nearby residences in case the fire spread but firefighters managed to prevent the blaze from jumping to other buildings.
“Everybody did a great job,” said Delmont Police Chief T.J. Klobuchar.
The fire was reported at 4:39 p.m. About 15 fire departments responded, according to Westmoreland County 911.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.
The cause has not been determined. The fire marshal is investigating.
Klobuchar said he was on his way to a borough council meeting when he saw the black smoke.
Firefighters were battling heat in addition to to the flames — it was nearly 90 degrees outside.
On a cooler day, firefighters likely would have demolished the building and towed away the ruined vehicles to prevent the risk of flare-ups, but the hot weather made that kind of exertion unfeasible, said Delmont Fire Chief Richard Balik.
“That’s just not an option with the high heat,” he said.
Instead, firefighters covered the building and vehicles with fire-retardant foam.
