Crews from multiple counties dispatched to fire at Bedford Valley Petroleum

BEDFORD COUTNY, Pa. (WJAC) — A massive fire erupted in Bedford County Thursday on the 10,000 block of Lincoln Highway in Everett.

Firefighters from four different counties responded to the large-scale fire at Bedford Valley Petroleum, but Bedford County Emergency Management Agency Director Dave Cubbison says it could’ve been a lot worse.

“Right around this area, we had facilities like AmeriGas, we had Spring House Estates, we had the hospital less than a mile away,” said Cubbison. “The plume from the fire was monitored, everything was monitored to make sure that there was no evacuation needed and quite frankly, there wasn’t even a shelter in place ordered from this, it was well contained to this building.”

The blaze could be seen miles away, with clouds of smoke rising above the surrounding mountains.

The fire burned for several hours and required nearby Route 30 to be closed in both directions, but fortunately, nobody was harmed.

“There were no injuries and we’re very thankful for that, especially in these conditions,” Cubbison stated. “One of the things that you find in a fire like this, at this time of year: Ice, a lot of ice, a lot of water was flown and moved around, and the ice is starting to build up right now, so we’re really hoping for the continued safety of all those involved.”

And Cubbison says no hazardous leaks occurred as a result of the fire.

“There was no environmental impact that we have found at this point. There were no large tanks involved in the fire, propane and other fuels and such,” he said.

He did not offer up an official cause to this event.

“The determination is not known at this point,” stated Cubbison. “I believe they have called in the state police fire marshal to investigate, to my knowledge.”

But did say the building has seen better days.

“Obviously, the business building is destroyed, I’m not sure how or when they’re going to be back in operation,” he said.

Cubbison praised all the first responders, including the dozens of fire companies that from Bedford, Blair, Somerset and Fulton counties, for going above and beyond.

“Everybody performed at their utmost, this is a well-trained group of firefighters and EMS people that represent this region,” said Cubbison. “This region needs to be proud of its people.”

As more details become available, 6 News will be sure to bring them to you.

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