[ad_1]
WEST READING, Pa. – Scott Weeks, owner of C&S Supply, said he got home from work last Friday when he got a call from his father, saying a tenant had contacted him about an explosion.
At first they thought the explosion happened at their building on Penn Avenue, but it was actually the explosion at nearby RM Palmer that killed seven people.
“My dad was here first, and I wanted to come down and sit with him just to see where everything was,” Weeks said.
First responders used the parking lot as a staging area, he said.
“I can’t say enough about how the county and the first responders from all over worked together,” Wicks said.
The explosion happened around 5 p.m., and Weeks said workers would normally be in the building. However, they had work that night. C&S Supply offers medical, office and paper supplies as well as office design services.
“Everybody was out of the building after four, so it’s just an absolute blessing on that front,” Weeks said.
According to Weeks, there was significant damage in his building: cracked drywall, tables tossed around and downed light fixtures. He said there was smoke inside. The building is now condemned.
“Buildings can be repaired, structural soundness – our business has been around for 40 years; it’s going to be another 40,” Weeks said. “You know, there’s a big reason for what’s happened in this community and also the rise that’s come out of it.”
“Our hearts go out to Palmer and we certainly wish them, you know, the victims who were injured, a speedy recovery and those involved with the injury, to be able to run as well as possible,” Weeks said.
He also said that the owner of another business in the area has given space for his company to operate. He told 69 News that he is looking for a long-term lease elsewhere until he can move back in.
Weeks said there is no timetable for his reinstatement, and the next step is to bring in a structural engineer.
[ad_2]
Source link
