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Pocono News Section
Devastating Fire Destroys Two Businesses
Devastating Fire Destroys Two Businesses - Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 3:51PM EST
Reported by: Jill Konopka
Saturday, Nov 24, 2007 @03:51pm EST
((Shenandoah, Schuylkill County) -
Three firefighters were hurt battling a devastating fire in Schuylkill County. The flames ravaged two local businesses. The fire broke out just before nine p-m Friday night and continued late into Saturday morning.
One of the business owners lived life to give back to his community, while the other was just starting out.
27,000 square feet of just about anything you could think of is gone Vinnie Campanile owns Berks Thrift Store, "Seriously, your dreams going up in smoke, it's exactly what it is."
Flames destroyed everything inside Berk's Thrift Store on North Main Street in Shenandoah.
Campanile added, "It's not the numbers, it's the possible future that you know, I just was living day to day and trying to make it."
For the last five years, Vinnie and Carol Campanile tried to earn a living at the same time giving back to their community. Carol Campanile "God has a plan and it's going to be ok." Ed Gavenas and lots of others told us the prices here were always reasonable.
Ed Gavenas of Shenandoah spoke with WBRE News, "There were certain things I didn't have money for them and he'd basically give it to me." Gregory Grove shopped here from Maizeville, "He's going to be missed. The first thing my wife said, we can't get our cheap chairs anymore it's a bummer."
Vinnie's motto was, “If they wanted stuff they had to buy it, but if they needed it I would give it to them for free. Anything from clothes to furniture, whatever because I found a way to get this stuff for real cheap."
Bob Babarsky stands helpless too. Bob Babarsky also spoke to WBRE News, "I said you need to get water on our roof it's going to go." He did not insure his new now gutted nightclub “Thunder Road.” Babarsky said, “I painted the entire front by hand, everything done there I did myself in my spare time and I work a regular full time job too."
Vinnie added, "That man over there has nothing. I feel worse about him than I do about myself. "Vinnie vows to finish this project. Just about a block away he will look into re-building here at this old building." Vinnie Campanile added, "I need a place to rent locally, this is where my people are, this is where I told my people I would be.
And it looks like Vinnie's people will do everything they can to help bring his thrift store back. Ed Gavenas added, "If he needs a hand with a clean up I'll help him clean up. If he needs equipment I'll help him out too.
Two of those three injured firefighters were taken to local hospitals and the other was treated and released on scene. This is the second major fire in the past six months. Over the summer the old Post Office burned down too. | | |
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