Fire destroys building in Cranberry

Seneca Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Perry said no one was injured in a structure fire at about 11:30 a.m. Monday that resulted in the “total loss” of the building at 8650 Route 322 in Cranberry Township. The fire also resulted in the closure of a portion of the highway. “It was a really old building, so it didn’t take long for (the fire) to go out,” Perry said. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, according to Perry. Route 322 had to be closed from the intersection with Hill City Road (Route 2015) in Cranberry to the intersection with Route 38 in Rockland Township, according to PennDOT. Also responding were volunteer fire departments from Rouseville, Rocky Grove, Reno, Rockland, Emlenton, Cornplanter, Washington, Kennerdell, Knox, Shippenville and Pine Grove, as well as Franklin state police and Community Ambulance Service, according to Venango County 911. Oakland and Pleasantville firefighters were on standby. The road was reopened to traffic by mid-afternoon Monday and the scene was cleared at 3:56 p.m., according to 911. (By Makayla Keating)