All that’s left of a landmark downtown Seneca Falls business is a skeleton of scorched wood.
“It literally breaks my heart,” said Amy Pedulla Kelsey, owner of D.A.’s Liquors down the street.
Neighbors say they’re heartbroken for the family-owned business (video)
Fire put dark cloud over holiday weekend
Pedulla Kelsey is brought to tears talking about the fire at Ferrara Lumber over the Fourth of July weekend.
“We came to the corner here which was as far as we could get and just to see it still burning,” Pedulla Kelsey said. “It’s a huge hit for our whole community, it really is. It’s a huge hit for Seneca Falls because everybody ran to Ferrara’s for everything. Whether your house was built out of Ferrara’s or your house was remodeled out of Ferrara’s, or you ran there to get roundup during the summer. We’re all tied together and my heart is broken for them. It really is.”
More: Ferrara Building Supplies: “We are down, but not out” after devastating fire (full coverage)
No word yet on what caused the fire
Seneca Falls Fire Chief Allen Larsen says the fire started Sunday evening.
“Once we got there we found the east end of the building fully engulfed in flames and it just spread very rapidly from there,” Larsen said.
Chief Larsen added that 16 fire companies from four different counties responded. It took them until the next morning to get all the hot spots out.
Larsen says the fire is currently under investigation and the cause has not been released yet, but he says his heart goes out to those working to pick up the pieces today.
“The Ferrara family has always been a big supporter of the fire department whenever we ask for help, they were more than willing to do it so it hit close to home as well,” Larsen said.
It hit very close to home, as the Fire Department is located across the street from Ferrara Lumber.
Community hopes Ferrara Lumber will rebuild
And neighboring businesses like Pedulla Kelsey’s are rooting for a family now dealing with the aftermath of a devastating fire.
“We hope that they are able to get back up and running quickly and get this repaired, replaced, get it all behind them and get back to business as normal because we need them,” Pedulla Kelsey said.
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].