A three-alarm fire at a roofing company’s Capitol Heights warehouse sent up a massive plume of smoke that was visible from the District, and that claimed two firetrucks before finally being extinguished.

According to an April 6 Washington Post article, the two destroyed firetrucks were worth a combined $1.5 million; Prince George’s County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said it was the first time in his 40-year career that he’d known a firetruck to be destroyed by a building fire.

The two firetrucks, which had been operated by the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department and the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department, were destroyed when propane tanks exploded as the wind changed direction unexpectedly, sending the flames straight toward the trucks.

The firefighters attempted to fight off the flames, but eventually had to pull back and leave the trucks. They had parked the trucks in positions consistent with building fire standard operating procedures, FireEngineering.com reported.

Fires are among the most common causes of workplace-related accidents and injury along with forklift-related incidents, which account for one in four workplace accidents. The National Fire Protection Association says that fire departments responded to some 1,270 warehouse fires annually between 2007 and 2011.

While two firefighters suffered minor burns, Brady told the Washington Post it was remarkable that none of the more than 100 firefighters at the scene were seriously injured.

“We’re very fortunate that no one was hurt,” he said. “You know, we can replace the firetrucks.”

The two volunteer fire departments both have firetrucks they can use to respond to fires, according to the Washington Post. The county fire department will help with a portion of the cost of replacing the two trucks, and the volunteer departments are considering holding fundraisers or applying for grants to cover the rest of the cost.

The fire began in a storage area behind the warehouse that contained flammable materials like wooden panels, tires, cars waiting to be repaired and containers of styrofoam. The burning tires caused the thick, black pillar of smoke that could be seen from Nationals Park 10 miles away.

The cause of the fire isn’t yet known.