CURWENSVILLE, Pa. -- Officials said the U.S. Post Office in Curwensville is estimated to be a near-total loss after fire tore through the roof Wednesday afternoon.

Postal employees inside the State Street building said a construction crew first alerted them to a problem at about 4:15 p.m.

The crew was in the process of working on windows on the building's exterior when Patty Bressler, sales associate at the post office, said a repairman came inside and said he had to get to the attic.

Travis Goodman, chief at Rescue, Hose and Ladder in Curwensville, said the crew was working near the roof line when the fire started.

"I believe they were using heat guns and torches to remove the old paint and rubber," he said.

Goodman said some embers made it to the roof, catching it and some insulation on fire.

Bressler said all of the mail was removed from the building, and Goodman said tarps were placed over some of the items inside the post office. Things that could be moved quickly were salvaged by postal employees and the Curwensville Borough police.

Mail service will be in place for Curwensville on Thursday, Bressler said, but she said she was unsure as to the location that would be used.

"It could be a temporary place in Curwensville or we could go to Clearfield," she said. "We have to wait and find out."

Goodman said he believed damage to the structure and contents to be in excess of $250,000.

"The roof came down," he said, adding that firefighters had to work through six false ceilings inside the building before water could be used to douse the flames.

He said the firefighters nearly had the blaze extinguished from outside before another false ceiling caught on fire, meaning that volunteers had to go inside to cut through to the roof.

"We had plenty of water and plenty of manpower, but it was just the construction," Goodman said.

In addition to the fire damage to the roof, the contents of the post office sustained both water and smoke damage.

No firefighters were hurt during the incident, Goodman said.

In addition to Rescue, Hose and Ladder, responders were at the scene from Clearfield Borough, Lawrence Township No. 1, Hyde Volunteer Fire Co. and Grampian. Other companies were called in from around the county to be on standby.

Officials said mail delivery will not be affected, and the postal service expects to have a mobile unit set up to sell stamps and accept drop-offs Thursday afternoon.