Fire destroys shop in Donegal Township

A portion of Route 711 in southeastern Westmoreland County was closed for several hours Wednesday morning while firefighters battled a blaze at the former site of a popular orchid and antique shop.

Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ed Chearney said many area residents would remember The Big Red Fun Barn, a destination years ago for those in search of apple cider, hay rides and collectibles.

Firefighters were dispatched to the site, about a mile south of Route 130 on Route 711 in Donegal Township, at 3:31 a.m. Wednesday to find a fully involved fire in a three-story building.

Because the flaming structure sat close to the roadway, Chearney said Route 711 had to be closed. The highway was reopened at about 6:30 a.m., he added.

The older, wooden building was vacant when the fire broke out, Chearney said. There were no major injuries. One firefighter was treated at the scene for a cut, he added, and another became nauseated.

Since being known as The Big Red Fun Barn, the property has changed hands several times. Chearney said before the current owner took over, on site was a botanical garden.

The three-story building housed a vacant apartment and storage space for its owner's antiques, Chearney said. The owner, who Chearney said lives in a nearby house, could not be reached for comment.

The top floor was thoroughly burned, the chief said, and the lower two sustained a lot of interior damage.

A state police fire marshal examined the structure's remains yesterday, but a report on that investigation was unavailable Wednesday night.