Demolition process begins at Lucky B's restaurant following January fire

Wednesday marked the end of an era as Lucky B's restaurant began to be torn down along the border of Derry Township and Latrobe.

Lucky B's caught fire just before midnight on Sunday, Jan. 25. Smoke billowed from the restaurant and apartment building, which was a staple for decades along Lincoln Avenue. Crews worked in subzero temperatures to put out the blaze, but despite their best efforts, the building was a total loss.

Owner of Lucky B's, Tony Wing, was on scene watching his restaurant come down on Wednesday.

"There were many thoughts after the fire," said Wing. "You think about remolding and fixing, or do you have to tear it down? But after we had everything inspected and everything, we found the building just wasn't savable."

In a short time, several people stopped to take pictures and stared at the site in disbelief, like former Lucky B's employee Anna Evancho, who was fighting back tears at times. 

She said she started working at Lucky B's shortly after it opened several years ago.

"I miss it. I miss the place. I miss the food. I miss my job and my family," Evancho said. "It will definitely be missed, not only by us, but definitely by the community as well. It was something special. There just wasn't anything quite like it, and I am not sure that there ever will be."

Wing said that this entire building should be down by Thursday, and while they would like to do something in the future, as of right now, they have no plans for this space.