Pocono News Section

Troubled Bar Catches Fire, Then is Demolished

Troubled Bar Catches Fire, Then is Demolished - Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 4:15PM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Thursday, Oct 30, 2008 @ 04:15pm EST
EDWARDSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY- An early morning fire swept through a Luzerne County business that's no stranger to crime. The huge fire in Edwardsville destroyed the Glass Bar in the 400-block of Main Street.

Investigators believe the fire started around 4 A. M. in the basement. Flames also spread to the nearby Swizzle Sticks bar which houses several upstairs apartments. Nine people live there and had to get out in a hurry.

Konefals restaurant next door also sustained smoke and water damage. Meanwhile, the fire-damaged Glass Bar had to be taken down by demolition crews.

Investigators say someone knocked in the back door before the fire. They're ruling it suspicious. Glass Bar owner Leo Yerashunas says, “It's unbelievable because when I got married we lived upstairs and raised 6 children. I have 12 grandchildren. You know."

Yerashunas owned the Glass Bar for years. It's been closed since August after months of turmoil. In February, a woman was shot and killed outside the bar. Last December, a man was gunned down inside the bar.

Yerashunas says the blame shouldn't fall on his shoulders. He says, "Unfortunately we had that shooting that didn't happen, you know, it wasn't cause because of that place, it was caused because two months earlier someone got in an argument over a bumped fender and they went to the cabaret and the guy got shot there."

Now Yerashunas is dealing with a bigger problem: what started this fire. The Eagles Club of Plymouth wanted to buy the place. Timothy McManus of the Plymouth Eagles says, "We wanted to move from our place down in Plymouth to a better location with more parking, to make everything more available. You know, to serve everyone."

But now they're looking for another place. "Well I can't believe it, I can't believe it. Unbelievable," says McManus.

And the State Police Fire Marshal is looking for the fire's cause. He's going to take another look at the rubble Friday morning.