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Folks Fear Fire Will Close Factory For Good

DURYEA — Investigators estimate a massive blaze at a factory in Luzerne County left roughly $50 million in damages. That fire broke out Tuesday at the Sch...

DURYEA -- Investigators estimate a massive blaze at a factory in Luzerne County left roughly $50 million in damages.

That fire broke out Tuesday at the Schott Glass plant in Duryea and burned through most of the evening.

Smoke could be seen billowing for miles from the Schott Glass factory here in Duryea after a fire broke out around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Despite efforts from nearly 40 fire companies from Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, the blaze burned for hours into the night.

Now investigators say the fire caused an upwards of $50 million in damage to half of the factory. Company officials say it`s not clear when employees will return to work.

Mayor Keith Moss says he plans to meet with the company to see what its plans are for moving forward.

“You really don`t know, until I sit down with the heads of Schott Glass Technologies and see what their intent is,” said Moss. “Maybe we could help them in one way or another try to rebound but we`d have to see what their intent is and how things go up there with their insurance.”

This fire comes as the company was set to lay off about 80 of its 230 employees as the glass manufacturer plans to move part of its productions to Germany.

Now with the fire and the millions of dollars in damages, some people fear the company won`t reopen at all.

“It would be traumatic for the area. There`s not too much left now. Techni Glass closed down years ago. There`s nothing left in this area,” said Tess Toole.

“I hope not. I have friends that work there and to see a company go down, especially right across the street from ours that would be horrible,” said Wayne White.

Employees at The Town Tavern say many of the Schott Glass workers are their regulars.

“They usually come for lunch, have their lunch, their soda, then go back to work then they come sometimes afterwards,” said Ashley Waters. “I think it would be a shame. A lot of people would lose their jobs.”

A state police fire marshal has said there is too much damage to determine a cause of the fire, but it does not appear suspicious.

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