Local

Fire destroys popular Delmont restaurant, apartment; 1 firefighter injured

DELMONT, Pa. — Carney's Corner restaurant and an upstairs apartment in Delmont were destroyed by fire Friday morning.

Channel 11's Courtney Brennan reported that the blaze killed two dogs and a firefighter was hurt fighting the flames.

Officials said James Moore, his two children and their pets lived above the restaurant. Brennan reported that the man was at work when the fire started and he didn’t know if his two boys were inside.

“When I first got here I didn’t know if my youngest had gone to school or stayed home,” James Moore said.

Moore said a neighbor saw his oldest son get on the bus, but no one knew where his 11-year-old son was.

At one point, firefighters said the roof of the building began to collapse.

“The roof had actually collapsed on the second floor so there was really no access to it. If anyone was trapped in there it would have been a lost cause and very dangerous for us to put ourselves in danger,” Delmont Assistant Fire Chief Logan Clark said.

Both of Moore’s children were in fact at school at the time and were uninjured.

“I’m glad he did get to school. We lost everything, but that’s all replaceable. My kids are irreplaceable,” Moore said.

Brennan said the owner of the restaurant lost his home in a fire two years ago in Slickville and fire now claimed his business.

The cause of Friday’s blaze is under investigation.

The American Red Cross is assisting the Moore family with a temporary place to live.