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Fire guts former car dealership building in Scenery Hill

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Firefighters are shown on the scene of a blaze early Sunday that gutted a former car dealership and garage along Route 40 in Scenery Hill. The building had been used most recently for storage.

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Linda Ritzer/Observer-Reporter

Four fire companies responded to a blaze early Sunday at a former car dealership and garage along Route 40 in Scenery Hill.

A fire that broke out shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday gutted a former auto dealership building along Route 40 in Scenery Hill that had been used most recently for storage.

Four fire companies – Cokeburg, Richeyville, Marianna and Lone Pine – responded to the fire, which was spotted by Cokeburg fire Chief Travis Lohr when he came out the front door of his nearby home and saw heavy flames.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters were able to get several antique cars out of the basement of the building, but the upper level was destroyed, along with Pike Days Festival supplies, including a stage, that had been stored there.

“It’s a sad thing, but you have to deal with it,” said the building’s owner, Janice Dunker. “Everybody is safe and things could have been worse. The fire was put out and nobody was hurt.”

The building was the former Frank Huffman auto dealership and garage, and was built in 1929, Dunker said. Dunker also owns the adjacent Jan’s Tea Shoppe, which was not damaged.

Dunker said a neighbor called her about 5 a.m. to tell her about the fire.

“The firemen were there and did a wonderful job,” she said.

Route 40 was closed for an hour or more while firefighters battled the flames. Lohr said he believes the fire might have been sparked by an electrical problem. A state police fire marshal is investigating.

The building that burned was near the Century Inn, which was gutted by fire in August 2015 and is just now nearing a reopening.

“We’re just taking it one day at a time,” Dunker said. “We’ll still have a good Christmas, I’m sure.”

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