Pocono News Section

Demolition Begins on Mount Carmel Building

Demolition Begins on Mount Carmel Building - Friday, June 13, 2008 at 7:35PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Friday, Jun 13, 2008 @ 07:35pm EST
MOUNT CARMEL, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY - A building that was hit by fire more than 20 years ago is finally coming down but no one is sad to see it go. The Northumberland County building partially collapsed earlier this week.

"The whole back collapsed. It hit my side," restaurant owner Marco Fiorellino remembers about Monday night. That's when the building next to his Italian Restaurant started to crumble in the back of South Oak Street in Mount Carmel.

"I thought it was thunder. As soon as I stepped out in the kitchen, I saw the dust cloud from the window," Fiorellino said.

Because of the partial collapse, his business was forced to close. When demolition on the neighboring business started Friday morning, his restaurant was given the green-light to re-open Saturday morning.

"I lost in the thousands. We have problems with the insurance because it did not happen to me," Fiorellino said.

The building that partially collapsed was the former Gusty's building. It was damaged by fire more than 20 years ago. Many people want to know why the property wasn't cleaned-up sooner.

"Somebody should have been paying attention. I can't believe an entire brick building collapsed like that. It could have hurt somebody," Valeria Ross said.

"It should have been taken down about 20 years ago. It doesn't look right in town. It should be knocked down," Eric Schlegel said.

Asking around town, no one is sad to see the building go.

"These kind of buildings contribute to the rodent problems in the town and also just the general bad facade of the area," Tricia Wilde said.

Demolition is expected to last into next week.