Fire damages Franklin County building

Twelve local fire companies rushed to downtown Chambersburg early Thursday afternoon when fire broke out on the roof of a Franklin County office building next to the courthouse.

Sparks from the demolition of the adjacent Harmon building ignited hay bales that were placed on the roof of the addition at the rear of 14 N. Main St. to protect it from construction debris, according to a news release from the commissioners, whose offices are housed in the addition.

The demolition is part of the $2.2 million project that includes renovations to the current county complex and the Junior Hose Co. building.

Workers were cutting through concrete containing rebar, which caused the sparks, according to the commissioners news release.

One construction worker was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Seen far away

Smoke from the burning hay could be seen from several miles away on Interstate 81.

William FitzGerald, Chambersburgs emergency services chief, said the fire was reported at 1:04 p.m. Firefighters evacuated the building, attacked the fire from the front of the building and had it under control in about 15 minutes, FitzGerald said. It took about two hours to make sure the fire was totally extinguished and North Main Street was closed to traffic for about three hours.

FitzGerald added the 50 firefighters on the scene did have trouble seeing the edge of the roof and knowing what areas of the roof were no longer stable.

Our biggest challenge was safety, FitzGerald said.

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Fire damages Franklin County building