Damage minimal but gooey from fire at Sarris Candy
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Smoke emanates from Sarris Candies in Canonsburg around 7 a.m. Friday after a fire broke out above the part of the building that houses the ice cream parlor.
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Firefighters slipped on floors slick with melted chocolate, ultimately calling hazardous-materials teams to scrub the sweet goo from their gear during a fire Friday that caused little structural damage to the popular Sarris Candy store and factory in Canonsburg.
No cause had been determined for the fire, which broke out above a second-floor packaging area where racks of chocolate were waiting to be wrapped and boxed, Canonsburg fire Chief Tom Lawrence said. Although the fire produced heavy smoke, structural damage was "minimal" and was largely confined to the second floor above the ice cream parlor.
Fire departments from Canonsburg, Houston, North Strabane and Peters responded to the call about 7 a.m. The fire was declared under control 45 minutes later, though an hour after that flames were still licking through a hole that firefighters had punched in the roof. The state fire marshal's office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating.
"There was minimal structural damage to the building. It was mostly damage to the content," Chief Lawrence said. "As far as the ice cream parlor, I don't believe there is any damage."
But it was literally a sticky situation for first responders, due to melted chocolate. According to assistant fire Chief Tim Solobay, who also is the state senator from Canonsburg, firefighters were coated in the hard-to-clean-up candy. They called Washington County HAZMAT "because it was easier for them to come in and scrub it off," he said.
Mr. Solobay said it shouldn't take long to scrub the retail area of smoke and water damage, adding that the biggest operational concern would be ensuring that electrical systems weren't damaged.
The fire was so well contained, he said, that a huge freezer of ice cream remained frozen. In fact, Sarris employees were offering ice cream sandwiches to first responders as he spoke.
Firefighters knocked out the windows on the floor above the retail stores, and that was the only visible exterior damage other than a line of soot around the roof. The doors to the candy store stood open with a fan blowing, and unmelted chocolates could be seen in a glass case.
Co-owner Bill Sarris mingled in the back parking lot with some of his 250 employees. He did not have damage estimates, and said he knew only that the fire started in the roof above the ice cream parlor.
First Published February 4, 2012 12:00 am
