MABEL - Firefighters from several counties battled a fire that destroyed a large garage at a Barry Township business Tuesday afternoon.
Crews were called to Bixler's Trees and Stumps, 111 Hinkel Road, off Deep Creek Road and about four miles from Lavelle, just after 12:30 p.m.
Firefighters from Schuylkill, Northumberland and Dauphin counties battled temperatures in the teens for several hours to bring the fire under control.
Owner Ronald Bixler said flames destroyed the 120-by-36-foot garage that was used to store equipment for the business.
Although workers were able to save several trucks and other equipment, flames destroyed more than $10,000 worth of items that remained inside.
Bixler said he was glad the vehicles were saved.
"Without them, we would be out of business," he said while watching crews spray a large amount of water on what was once the garage.
Bixler said he does not know how the fire started since he and several others were in the garage just minutes before the fire broke out.
Inside was a wood burner and fireplace, he said, adding that both the heat sources appeared to be working properly.
"We just went to the house (about 100 yards away) and were only there for 10 minutes or so when someone came and said the garage was on fire," Bixler said.
Hegins Township Fire Company First Assistant Chief Brandon Bressler directed fire ground operation and had no comment at the scene.
Bixler said he does have insurance on both the building and the equipment inside.
Firefighters from Lavelle, Gordon, Hegins, Valley View, Ashland, Joliett, Pitman, Sacramento, Donaldson, Llewellyn and Mahanoy City responded as well as firefighters from Gratz in neighboring Dauphin County and Wilburton and Aristes in Northumberland County.
EMS units from Hegins and Ashland were also at the scene and area fire police kept traffic off Hinkel Road for the duration of the fire.