Pittsburgh-area grocery store catches fire 1 week after being broken into
VANDERBILT, Pa. (KDKA) — The site of an early-morning fire in Dunbar Township, Fayette County, is now being considered a crime scene.
Firefighters were seen on Friday morning taping off the area around Grindle's Market on Leisenring Vanderbilt Road. A lot of smoke was seen and the front door was charred.
Last week, Grindle's Market posted on Facebook that the store had been broken into and police were alerted.
State police in Uniontown confirmed to KDKA-TV on Friday that troopers were called on Feb. 15 to investigate a burglary. No further information was given, including if anything from inside the store was stolen.
Spokesperson Kalee Barnhart said state police was dispatched by 911 on Friday morning for another burglary call.
"We were dispatched by 911 for a burglary alarm at Grindle's Market in Vanderbilt," Barnhart said. "At that time, the owner was able to view her camera footage on her phone that the market was on fire."
Some community members told KDKA-TV that they're aware of the recent break-ins and questioned if the fire was connected.
"Last week, somebody did break in and took some cash out of the register. I don't know if they did any other damage," Ronald Goth said. "It's devastating. It's just unimaginable that people would do something like that."
Shane Lynn, the fire chief of DLV Fire Department, said crews extinguished the flames quickly. He said the inside of the store likely needed to be gutted.
The owners of the market were too upset to go on camera but told KDKA-TV that they'd been running the place for four years.
Crews were seen boarding up the market on Friday afternoon. A state police fire marshal is now investigating a cause.
Barnhart said it's unclear if the burglaries and fire are connected at this time.