EVANS CITY (KDKA) — Apples and Peaches took it on the chin overnight as temperatures in our region dipped well below the freezing mark.

Reed Soergel of Soergel’s Orchard and Family Farm in Wexford estimates only about 30 percent of the apples in his orchard survived the snap.

The Soergel’s spent the overnight hours burning fires to shroud the trees in smoke and blew fans through the trees to keep the air moving in an effort to save the blooms.

The early swath of warm weather has prompted the trees to sprout blooms a full month ahead of schedule and made them vulnerable to the frigid temperatures.

The Soergels’ peach trees in Evans City fared much worse despite the bests efforts of the family to employ every possible method to save the blooms.

Farm manager and Reed’s nephew Adam Voll says the outlook for the peaches doesn’t look good but it will take some time before the extent of the damage is revealed.

The Soergels are bracing for another below freezing night on Thursday and are hopeful there won’t be too many more before the traditional end of the frigid threats in early May.

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