MINERSVILLE, Pa. — Workers at Quandel Concrete in Cass Township had a different task; cleaning up after a fire Tuesday night.
While Jim Quandel was wrapping up his work on Tuesday night, he saw flames quickly spreading across his plant.
“Until I got up and looked back and saw the flames coming up. Somebody was stopped here calling 911, so I immediately ran back and got my pet cat,” explained Jim Quandel, Quandel Concrete President.
Mike Sorokach says he passed Quandel Concrete on his way home on Tuesday night and was shocked to see it engulfed in flames just hours later.
“I put the video on, and I saw this, and I couldn't believe how high the flames were shooting. Thank God our local fire companies arrived when they did and did an outstanding job because I think this whole thing could have been so much worse,” mentioned Mike Sorokach, Cass Township Supervisor.
Being a volunteer firefighter himself, Quandel was grateful the fire companies were able to put out the fire so quickly, saying they saved his five-generation business.
“They saved everything here. They were really quick and were here in no time. I think there were three alarms, at least on, and they did a good job of getting it knocked down in a hurry. And we have no damages to our offices at all,” he said.
Although the plant is under renovation, Quandel ensures all of his employees will still be on their full-time work schedule.
“We're going to put a portable plant up. We have a portable plant up in Mahanoy City. We're going to move it close in proximity to here and set it up, and then we'll be rolling until we get our other plant together,” Quandel added.
Fire marshals were on the scene at Quandel Concrete to continue investigating the cause of the fire, which is still undetermined.
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