STEWARTSTOWN BOROUGH, Pa (WHTM) — A massive fire at an old furniture factory in Stewartstown broke out on Saturday, April 27 and two days later areas of the structure were still smoldering.

Hours after the fire first started Eureka Volunteer Fire Department’s Chief Todd Gibney shared additional information regarding the three-story, approximately 250,000-square-foot factory building.

According to Chief Gibney, the first alarm for the fire came in around 1:58 a.m. to Gordon’s Service Center on 10 Mill Street. It was determined shortly after that the fire was located at the rear portion of the currently vacant Stewartstown Furniture Factory.

Fears of this timber and brick building catching fire have always been on the Eureka firefighter’s minds, so much so that leaders had an 8″ pipe installed at the large pond on Piston Court to allow fire engines to pump water from the pond in the event of a large fire in the town.

Furthermore, the department had also put together a 13-page “Pre-Plan” in the event of this particular building catching fire.

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Chief Gibney says that this fire will go down as the biggest fire in Eureka history and likely one of the biggest fires in York County as a whole. The fire was so big in fact, that embers from the blaze were landing 2.5 miles away from the site on Rinley Road and Vineyard Road.

With the exception of one home on High Street that had three pieces of warped siding, there were no other houses or buildings damaged.

Currently, the fire is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshall in conjunction with the Southern Regional Police Department. Officials are saying there is more than one possibility on how the fire started.

Smoldering, smoke, and the occasional flame is expected over the next seven days. Officials are urging you to not call 911 to tell them that there is still smoke coming from the site.

The chief says smoldering areas are contained and cannot spread.

Mayor of Stewartstown Borough, Brittany Barnette, says that Haz-Mat and DEP have given the all-clear on air quality and at this time there are no real concerns with water quality.

“Saturday was a very sad and scary day for Stewartstown,” Mayor Barnette told abc27 news in an email. “As bad as this was, it could have been so much worse had it not been for the quick and calculated response Eureka and the many other departments had. I will never be able to express my gratitude enough for all they did and continue to do, and my hope is that they will all be able to find time to rest and recharge soon. “

The Stewartstown Furniture Factory was constructed around 1904 and ceased production in 1959. The building was vacant and slated for a possible renovation into luxury apartments.

abc27 news will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

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