SOUTH WAVERLY, Pa. — Flames destroyed a restaurant in Bradford County Tuesday night.
It started after 7 p.m. at Reese's Family Restaurant on North Keystone Avenue in South Waverly, near the New York State line.
The restaurant and an attached apartment were destroyed.
Numerous fire companies in Bradford County were dispatched to fight the fire.
Patrick Felicita grew up in the area and has fond memories of the place.
"My mom used to work here with my aunt and my sister-in-law. Good food, great people, and we just grew up around here. And fun, couldn't ask for better people," Felicita said.
Now, the building is gone, reduced to rubble.
"The pictures that I have show the back half here before, and next thing you know, the whole building was gone,"
Instead of going in for her shift in the kitchen, Donna Bennett came back to see what was left of her family's restaurant.
"Knowing you made people happy made you want to come to work. And being with your family and working with your family made it even more special," said Bennett.
Bennett said nothing was out of the ordinary when she closed up for the night. A few hours later, she was back to watch firefighters battle the flames.
"To see my sister torn up the way she was, this was her life dream. And she's worked it for 25 years, made a lot of friends. People come in here every day, regulars, and she's worried about them. 'Where are they going to go?'"
The owners of Reese's Family Restaurant say they are grateful that no one was injured.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
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