Published: August 29, 2008 10:21 pm            

Moxham fire blamed on ruptured gas line

Johnstown firefighters on Friday snuffed out an apartment fire caused by a severed gas line, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.

Workers were taking scrap from an unoccupied building at 112 Hillside Court in the city’s Moxham section when a grinding tool ruptured a gas line shortly after noon, city fire Chief Anthony Kovacic said.

“A grinding wheel used to cut the pipe sparked the fire,” he said.

The fire was extinguished before it could spread outside the building.

Several nearby homes were evacuated, and the gas was shut off before another fire could ignite. A third alarm was called as firefighters prepared for the worst.

“If it would have ignited there would have been several residences involved, and we would have had a significant fire to deal with,” Kovacic said.

No injures were reported and residents returned to their homes within an hour.

High scrap metal prices are making the removal of pipe from vacant properties more common. But firefighters worry that people don’t understand the potential dangers.

This is the second time in six months that a fire was ignited by workers searching for scrap, Kovacic said. The previous fire was in Conemaugh Borough.

“It really concerns me that people are doing this,” he said. “It’s imperative that folks know what they’re getting themselves into.”

The fire started as workers were removing scrap from the building in preparation for demolishing the structure, said Steve Foster, manager of Greater Johnstown Property Investments, 300 Cedar St., which owns the building.

“I was surprised there was an active gas line in a building that hasn’t had anybody living in it,” Foster said.

The company has owned the building for about 10 years. Because renovating the four apartments would cost about $125,000, Foster said the company decided to knock it down.

There is no timetable for demolition, he said.

        

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