Center Township recoups costs of negligent fire through ordinance
Center Township acquired more than $1,100 from a Clay Township contractor through a rarely used township ordinance for recouping funds from negligent fires.
The township filed a claim in district court against McMurdy Trucking and Excavating at 256 Byers Road for $1,177 after the building it was demolishing Dec. 30, 2025, at 2162 William Flynn Highway caught fire.
Code enforcement officer Randy Brown said the building did not have gas or electricity at the time. Unionville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Mike Pflugh said he believed the fire was started by a candle.
The township’s ordinance allows it to assess fees for emergency services responses for motor vehicle accidents and fires, hazmat emergencies, rescues, dive recoveries and negligent fires, among others.
Brown said this was his first time authorizing a claim, filed April 2, using the ordinance. He added a state police fire marshal declined to investigate the fire’s cause due to the state of the building before the fire started.
Brown said the claim was filed due to the “havoc” the fire caused. Eleven fire companies were dispatched to contain it, Route 8 was shut down for a period due to low visibility caused by smoke and township road crews had to salt the road to avoid runoff from fire hoses freezing on the road. West Penn Power was also dispatched.
Four of the 11 fire companies were back at the scene later that evening for a rekindling. No injuries were reported, but crews spent nearly two hours at the scene.
The fire had destroyed the roof by the time it was extinguished, so the demolition company then knocked down the walls with a bulldozer about an hour into the incident.
Brown said the property is owned by Blackbird Industries at 569 Mahood Road, which hired McMurdy Trucking and Excavating for the demolition.
Mike DeMayo, owner of Blackbird Industries, purchased the building in November for $125,000, according to county property records.
Earlier in 2025, the property was listed for sale through the Berkshire Hathaway realty firm. According to the website’s listing, the structure was built in 1955 and was condemned by Center Township before the fire.
Before McMurdy Trucking and Excavating paid the amount of the claim, the township had it confused with a different McMurdy Excavating in Harrisville.
Jennifer Mostard, whose father ran that business, said their McMurdy Excavating had not been active since 2023 when its owner, Jerry McMurdy, died in a Feb. 16 car crash.
Brown said a constable attempted to serve the claim to the owners of the Harrisville contractor twice to no avail. Once the township found the correct company, it quickly paid the claim.
The building now has a fence around it to protect the foundation and mitigate any risks of people exploring and falling into the basement, Brown said.
DeMayo said his company and McMurdy Trucking and Excavating are finishing up permitting for the building and aim to have a new one built by the beginning of 2027.
The building will be a boat and marine engine store, DeMayo said.
He bought the building so his business would regain a Butler address, which is better for advertising. He said a previous rezoning moved the company’s address from Butler to West Sunbury, making it more difficult to explain the location.
