Fire Destroys Washington Co. Restaurant
AMWELL TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – A popular local restaurant went up in flames early Saturday morning.
According to officials at the scene, the blaze broke out around 5:30 a.m. at the Adams Pine Creek Buffet on Weaver Run Road in Amwell Township.
When crews arrived at the scene, they went into a defense mode to attack the fire because the flames were shooting out of the building.
The fire moved so quickly that firefighters from Amwell Township and surrounding communities could not save the more than 100-year-old building.
"We're out here in a rural area. We don't have the luxury of fire hydrants; we have to rely on a tanker shuttle, which means we have to call on mutual aid companies," said Chief Mark Wright, of the Amwell Township Fire Department.
"To get up this morning and see that fire, I was dumbfounded, just scared to death," said Harry 'Hezzy' Reese, a neighbor.
Reese's daughter owns a hair salon on the ground floor.
Reese owned the structure when it was a barn and held auctions there for 27 years before selling it to the Adams family. The family converted the building into a restaurant.
"The Adams family, since they opened the restaurant, they made a lot of new friends and there are people that come here to eat every day," said Reese.
Diane Adams, a cousin, painted a mural inside the restaurant.
"The whole family was proud of them. They took nothing and made this," said Adams. "It's really sad they definitely put so much work into it."
Neighbors say the restaurant was so popular that from Wednesday to Sunday the parking lot would be packed with buses and cars.
Everyone is hoping the owners will come back and rebuild.
"It's a big loss to them," Reese added. "I just hope they can find the strength to continue."
So far, the family has not commented on plans to rebuild and the cause is being investigated by the State Police Fire Marshal.
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