HANOVER TOWNSHIP -- Fire hit a pharmacy under construction Monday morning in Luzerne County.
Firefighters responded quickly to a fire at a CVS pharmacy under construction in Hanover Township. They were already on their way there for a reported gas leak around 10:30 a.m.
Fire crews fought back heavy flames and thick smoke after a fire broke out on the roof of this new CVS building off the Sans Souci Parkway.
The fire damaged that future CVS and caused roads around it to partially shut down. Traffic was backed up as fire crews fought to control the blaze.
"Looks serious!" said Mike Gibbs of Factoryville.
"It's always scary when you see smoke!" added Tom Lewis of Hanover Township.
Construction of the new CVS building is still underway. It's expected to replace the old CVS pharmacy about two blocks away on Carey Avenue. CVS says it's still expected to open on time in November, but soot and smoke damaged part of the inside of the building.
"It was a little harder to see because of the smoke, the way it was coming out and how thick and black it was," said Hanover Township firefighter Mike Yodsnukis.
Firefighters say the fire started after welders on the roof of the building were working and a spark landed on a bundle of insulation.
Crews were already on the way to the CVS. They were called to the same site for a gas line that broke after an excavator dug through the ground and hit it.
"Everybody was on their way here, so our response time was a little bit shorter than normal," said Yodsnukis.
The gas main break and fire also caused part of Oxford Street and the Sans Souci Parkway to close, attracting lots of onlookers.
"Just looking at a brand new building not even finished working yet and they definitely have some damage to it," said David Prohaska of Larksville.
No one was injured, but people hope to see the new pharmacy open on schedule.
"It's a shame. They didn't even get the building finished," Prohaska added.
The Hanover Township fire department is preliminarily ruling this fire as accidental, but it's still being investigated.
Firefighters say the gas leak had nothing to do with the fire.