LEBANON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Flames ripped through a commercial garage destroying several vehicles in Wayne County.
Bill Pykus and Sons Excavating caught fire shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday and firefighters are still battling the flames. The big concern is getting water up a hill and the icy road conditions.
No one was inside at the time. The garage appears to be a total loss.
"We got the phone call about 1:30 that the building was on fire and I came up and there were flames over the original shop," Nancy Thompson said.
Multiple companies reported to the fire including two from New York State. They needed all the help they could get as freezing temperatures made it difficult to get water on the flames.
"We had several trucks freeze up on us, so we kept calling in more companies to help. That was our biggest problem was the cold," Equinunk Fire Chief Darryl Gill.
With tankers freezing and firefighters struggling to stay warm, it took four hours to put the fire out with one of Pykus's excavators stepping in to help get hot spots under control.
Among other vehicles and equipment, Pykus lost his four plow trucks which he contracts to PennDOT to help keep the roads of Wayne County clear.
Dale Bryant, who has worked with Pykus for seven years says with the loss of the plow trucks, they will have to find another way.
"We're not even sure what we're going to do now. We still have a good month and a half of state work yet to do so we'll have to put something together," Bryant said.
The workshop was Bill's life's work, but despite the devastation, those who know him say he plans to rebuild.
"They've been around forever. I've known the family my whole life. It's devastating for the whole family," Thompson said. "He'll build back. We'll come back one way or another. This is his livelihood. This is his life; it has been since high school."
There is no word yet as to what caused the fire.
