The Roadster Factory, a beloved parts supplier of vintage British sports cars, suffered a catastrophic loss after a fire tore through its Indiana County, Pennsylvania facility on Christmas day, The Tribune Democrat reports.
The company’s 48,000-square-foot building was declared a total loss by the fire chief following an entire day of dousing flames. More than 100 firefighters from two different Pennsylvania counties were called to help contain the blaze, says The Tribune Democrat, after the Armagh and East Wheatfield Fire Department received the call at about 1 a.m. Christmas morning.
Fire crews could be seen sifting through the building’s remains as late as noon on Christmas to extinguish hotspots that might restart the fire. “I would think we’re going to be here for 20 hours,” Armagh and East Wheatfield Township fire Chief Tom Fry told The Tribune Democrat, “and then we’re probably going to get called back.”
The Roadster Factory specializes in manufacturing and supplying parts for vintage British sports cars from the likes of MG, Triumph, and more. Founded in 1978, the company is a “British Motor Heritage Approved Supplier,” with direct access to original-equipment parts as well as quality reproductions, according to its website.
There were several vehicles inside the structure at the time of the fire, only three of which were removed by firefighters before the building collapsed, says CBS Pittsburgh. It’s unclear how many vehicles were lost to the fire.
Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, with only minor injuries reported from firefighters working with debris.
The cause of the fire is unclear. The Tribune Democrat says the Pennsylvania state fire marshal has been contacted to investigate.
The Factory’s owner, Albert Runyan, was at the scene as firefighters fought the blaze, but declined to comment when questioned by The Tribune Democrat. We’ve reached out to The Roadster Factory ourselves for more information, including an inquiry into whether it’s set up a way to accept donations for support and rebuilding. We’ll be sure to update this article when we hear back.
