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POWELLSVILLE – An explosion here Tuesday afternoon resulted in considerable damage at a vehicle salvage shop, but fortunately did not cause any serious injuries.

Powellsville Fire Chief Ralph Brinkley said the incident occurred at Good News Auto Parts, located on US 13.

“It happened in a building located behind the main building,” Brinkley said. “One of the employees was dismantling an old car, which caused something to explode. That explosion immediately caused the building to catch fire.”

Brinkley added that the employee was not seriously injured.

However, the severity of the fire in an area containing grease, oil, and old tires prompted the call for additional manpower to extinguish the blaze.

Brinkley said that the Trap Volunteer Fire Department and the Askewville Volunteer Fire Department combined to send eight firefighters. Each department also sent a tanker truck.

The Powellsville Volunteer Fire Department, which received the call at 2:04 pm, had 11 firefighters on the scene as well as five units.

“The back building was a total loss, but we were able to contain it there within 15 to 20 minutes after we got on the scene,” Brinkley said. “The fire did reach a shelter attached to the back of the main building, but we were able to knock it down and there was no major damage to the main building.”

The Powellsville firefighters remained on scene until 4:25 p.m.