How a Stonycreek Twp. automotive business was destroyed by fire early Saturday morning

STONYCREEK TWP. ― Robert Hauger of Stoystown planned to retire and turn over his 50-year-old automotive sales, towing and repair business to his son sometime this year.

Now the family is left to decide what to do next after a fire destroyed the business early Saturday.

Hauger Automotive Services LLC in the 1500 block of Lambertsville Road, Stoystown, Stonycreek Township, is considered a total loss, said Shanksville Deputy Chief John Abramowich.

The state police fire marshal was called but because of the extent of the damage, the cause of the fire is undetermined, he said.

Fire departments from Shanksville, Central City, Stoystown, Berlin, Listie, Friedens, Hooversville, Sipesville and Somerset and Berlin EMS were called to the 2:30 a.m. commercial garage fire. The county's Hazardous Materials Response Team was also dispatched.

Awakened by the fire alarm

Robert Hauger said he and his wife, Laura, were awakened early Saturday by the sound of what they thought was their landline telephone or his cell phone beeping. The Haugers' home is next door to the garage, and Robert said he keeps his cell phone next to the bed in case he receives a call for towing.

They soon realized that what they were hearing was actually the garage's fire alarm.

"My wife woke up, and it sounded like a telephone was off the hook," he said. "We looked out (the bedroom window) and saw the flames coming up through the (garage) roof."

Hauger said there were seven vehicles parked in the garage at the time, including several customer vehicles and his rollback tow truck. The vehicles that were being worked on had been sitting in the garage all week, he added.

"We weren't welding or cutting or anything, just nuts and bolts, that type of stuff," Hauger said.

'Defensive from the get-go'

Tanker trucks shuttled back and forth from Shanksville to bring water to the site; in total, 140,000 gallons of water were used to put out the fire, Laura Hauger said.

"It was fully involved with the fire going through the roof when we got there," Abramowich said. "The owner's residence is next door and the fire alarms woke them up. There were six or seven vehicles inside the structure. They hold a lot of heat and form an umbrella situation, which contributed to the difficulty in extinguishing the fire. We also had some wind. The fire (fight) was defensive from the get-go."

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Abramowich said Somerset County Emergency Management Agency Director Joel Landis and representatives of the state Department of Environmental Protection were called to the scene because the structure is beside a river. Various paint thinners and chemicals used in auto body work were a concern for contaminating the river, he said.

"Everything was fine. There is no contamination," Abramowich said.

Knockdown was reported at 4 a.m., but the fire departments did not clear the scene until 7 a.m. An excavator was called to the scene to pull the debris apart, Abramowich said. He said no injuries were reported.

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'I'm hoping we can rebuild'

"They did a great job; it was just too far out of control to save everything," Robert Hauger said. "The flames were already up through the roof, and once it gets in the rafters, you're done. It just goes the whole way through the building."

Their next steps will take some time to work through since the business's computer was destroyed in the fire as well, Hauger said. He was also thinking about the four employees the fire put out of work.

"We're going to have to see how the finances work out with the coverage of the insurance and everything," Hauger said. "My son was going to take over the business this coming year, I was going to retire out. It's going to be kind of helping (him make) his decision, what he wants to do. My concern is (for) my employees.

"I'm hoping we can rebuild. We thank everybody for their prayers, praying for us."

Abramowich said the loss of the business was also deeply felt by the responding fire company members.

"It was very emotional for the owners. The business has been a staple for the community for as long as I've been here," Abramowich said. "We're really sad to see that go."

He added his appreciation for all the mutual aid departments' help in battling the blaze.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: No injuries or contamination in Stoystown business fire early Saturday