Jan. 08--An Aliquippa firefighter was injured this morning battling a blaze at a well-known auto repair and towing company, Aliquippa Fire Chief Dave Foringer said.
Fire Captain James "J.T." Pennington, 44, of Aliquippa shattered his elbow when a ladder collapsed on a fire truck as he and other firefighters battled a fire at Junak's Auto Repair on Franklin Avenue. Foringer said Pennington was undergoing surgery this afternoon at Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side.
A Beaver County 911 dispatcher said the fire began about 6:30 a.m.
Firefighters responding to the scene had the fire under control by 9 a.m. A state police fire marshal in Beaver County is investigating the cause, the dispatcher said.
A truck driver who answered the company's phone this morning called the damage "pretty substantial," but said he believed the building could be salvaged.
Joseph Junak opened the shop in 1962, according to the Better Business Bureau. Since his death in May, his wife and daughter have operated the company. They could not be reached for comment.
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