At least 75 vehicles inside Etna storage facility that caught fire, owner says

May 09-- May 9--The owner of a storage facility that caught fire Wednesday in Etna said the recent warming weather may have saved many of the cars stored inside.

Steve Mitnick, owner of the STORExpress facility, estimated there were at least 75 vehicles in storage.

The number would have been higher in winter, but people get their vehicles out of storage as the weather improves, Mitnick said.

"We are still trying to get the extent of the damage," he said. "We have a lot of hope, and we're trying to work with our clients to make them whole."

Some people also park their classic cars in the building and come and go so there's no way of knowing an exact number, he said.

Firefighters were called to the building at 400 Butler Street near Route 28 about 2:18 p.m. Heavy smoke and flames could be seen coming from the warehouse. Nearby homes and businesses were evacuated.

The building was insured and most of the people who stored items in there also carried insurance. The storage agreement stipulated people must carry insurance, Mitnick said.

Ruth Duerstein of Etna had just removed her Mazda Miata convertible from storage two weeks ago.

"I just think it's really a sad thing," Duerstein said.

The building was formerly a mill and it was nice that it was being used for something, she said.

"It sat just empty for a long time. It's unfortunate this happened," Duerstein said. "When I would go in to park my car, I always made a point to walk around to look and see. There were antique cars. It was just an experience to walk around and see all the vehicles that were there."

Mitnick, of McCandless, was out of town Wednesday when the fire started. He was driving back Thursday.

The company has been in business since 1998 and has 13 locations in the region.

STORExpress bought the 110,000-square-foot building in 2012. Several small businesses rented space there and many people used the expansive, climate controlled area to store historic cars and recreational vehicles, Mitnick said.

The fire is a shame, because the idea behind the facility is it's a safe place for people to store something valuable like a classic car.

Then, "something like this happens," Mitnick said.

The fire appears to have started in a tenant's space, Mitnick said fire officials have told him.

"They were able to find the hot spot," Mitnick said.

"I'm happy the building wasn't completely destroyed," he said, adding that as of now the company intends to repair the damage and continue to operate.

He felt badly for the small business owners who rented work space there.

"We're trying to do everything we can to help them," Mitnick said.

Karen Gerard lives in Shaler and was among the first customers at the facility, she said. She stored a recreational vehicle there and had just returned it to storage after a vacation.

"Bad timing," Gerard said.

"There's not much you look at, see, determine now," Gerard said.

Shawn Miller of Ross operates a reptile education business, Lab Ratz, inside.

He was leaving to do a program at Franklin Regional at 2:20 pm Wednesday and noticed the pitch black smoke in the building. He left without realizing the extent of the fire.

When he got outside, he could see a "wall of smoke just pouring out of the garage," he said.

His business is on a far corner and he didn't yet know the extent of damage to his area or if the snakes, turtles and a lizard were able to survive.

"I'm just holding out hope that my area was somehow salvaged," Miller said.

Etna Police Chief Tim Rodman said the Allegheny County Fire Marshall was investigating the cause of the fire and was expected to return to the scene at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Until the fire investigation is completed and a structural engineer determines the building is safe, people will not be allowed inside.

Tom Davidson is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tom at 724-226-4715, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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