Chocolate production resumes after fire at Sarris Candy

None — CANONSBURG, Pa. --Chocolate production at Sarris Candy in Canonsburg resumed on Monday after a fire damaged the buildling on Friday.

Photos: Images From The Scene

The blaze was reported about 7 a.m. Friday at the Adams Avenue building. Flames could be seen shooting through parts of the roof and thick, black smoke could be seen pouring from the perimeter of the roof of the long, red-brick building.

Canonsburg Fire Chief Tom Lawrence said the building caught fire in a second-floor packaging area where firefighters had to wade through melted chocolate.

No injuries were reported.

The chief said the fire caused "minimal structural damage" and company President Bill Sarris said most of his seasonal candy was stored at an offsite warehouse and will still be delivered on time.

In an email to Channel 11's Dave Bondy, retail operations manager Norm Candelore said, "I am happy to report we got one line up and running today.   Tomorrow we will be starting all production lines and going back to work.  Of course we have started with our favorite Sarris milk chocolate covered pretzels.  Let them know Dave we are on our way back and that we have the greatest workers."

Employees, some who have worked there for at least a decade, gathered outside of the building as firefighters battled the blaze.

"All I seen was smoke and one of my workers called and they thought Sarris was on fire," said employee Barbara Petraca.

Sarris said he thinks the fire started in a ceiling furnace.

"We think it was a furnace up in the ceiling. There were some people in the building and they called it in," Sarris said.

Sarris said the ice cream parlor portion of the business could be closed for months but the candy section of the store should be opened by March 1.  Sarris also said that candy sales increased at all of their distributors following the fire. He said there will be no shortage in the candy supply and there are warehouses filled with product that have not been affected.

The business was founded by his father, Frank Sarris, who died in 2010. Frank Sarris began making chocolates in his basement before opening his business in 1963.

School children and others sell the candy to raise funds for activities, and the candy is sold in supermarkets, other retail outlets and through the factory's store and ice cream parlor at the factory.

WPXI