Gas station canopy collapses, damaging two vehicles, fuel pumps underneath: report

No one was injured when a Monroeville,Pa., gas station's canopy collapsed, police say. (Monroeville Fire Department)

The canopy of a gas station near Pittsburgh collapsed Tuesday evening, landing on a car and pickup truck below and causing heavy damage to two fuel pumps, authorities said.

Both vehicles were empty during the collapse, which occurred around 5:30 p.m. in Monroeville, about 14 miles east of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. No one was injured.

Monroeville Fire Department No. 4 Chief Scott Feyes told WPXI-TV that a man “was just stepping away from the truck when the awning fell, so he was very fortunate.” The man didn’t require medical equipment but was “shaken up,” the chief said.

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Two fuel pumps under the canopy were heavily damaged, prompting gas station workers to act quickly to prevent a fire or explosion. “The managers at the store turned the gas and the electricity off to the pumps immediately when this occurred,” Feyes said. “We were able to come in and mitigate the situation very quickly, got everybody from the immediate area removed and began evaluating the situation further."

Strong winds in the region are believed to have caused the canopy’s fall. Thunderstorms with wind gusts above 50 mph were moving through western Pennsylvania Tuesday, Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV reported.

The city’s code enforcement officials are investigating the collapse, the Tribune-Review reported. The gas station remained closed following the incident. It wasn’t immediately clear when the station would reopen.