Fire destroys 2 buildings in downtown Monessen

Fire destroyed two buildings in downtown Monessen early Saturday morning.

The fire in the 400 block of Donner Avenue gutted the building housing Any-Kind-A-Wear at 451 Donner Ave., a custom tailor shop, and C. Coates Communications at 453 Donner Ave., which had not been operating.

Monessen Fire Chief Delmar Hepple said there was heavy smoke and fire coming from the two-story building housing the shuttered cellphone store, when they arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the alarm at 9:20 a.m.

Fire officials were checking to determine if anyone was living in apartments in the building at the time of the fire.

The fire collapsed the roofs of both buildings and firefighters poured water on the two structures for about two hours.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state police fire marshal, Hepple said.

Based on the amount of smoke and flames, Hepple said it appears the fire started in the building where the cellphone business operated and spread to the tailor shop. The buildings abutt each other.

Danielle Volkar, owner of the custom tailor shop, said she had tailored clothing and costumes there.

Volkar said she had costumes for characters in the film “Vindication” that is shooting in Carrick. Volkar said she was at the film production site when a neighboring business owner notified her that her three-story building was burning.

Volkar has owned the Monessen business since 2002, having moved to the Mon Valley after living in New York City. She said she decided to make the move after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

As she wiped away tears from her face as firefighters poured water on her building, she said she hoped to rebuild the business.

“The business is more than a building,” said her husband, David Volkar. “It is hurting her.”