Fire Destroys Pennsylvania Textile Plant

CRESSONA, Pa. (WNEP) – A Saturday night fire destroyed a well-known business in Cressona for the third time in five years.

Looking over what was left of his business, Cressona Textile Waste, Incorporated, owner Leland Winstian said it was surreal seeing his livlihood once again destroyed by fire. He believed it was deliberately set.

“Déjà  vu. I don`t know that it`s sunk in yet,” said Leland Winstian.

Saturday night smoke poured from the building that made and stored industrial rags. Firefighters said when they arrived, flames were shooting through the roof, making it impossible to get inside.

Hours later, a state police fire marshal sifted through all the ruined products trying to figure out what sparked the blaze.

The Winstians said it was the third fire to hit Cressona Textile in the past five years, and they said seeing all the damage yet again was devastating.

“It breaks my heart. I look at this and I see everything all over again and it scares the hell out of us,” said Leland’s wife, Freddie.

About a year and a half ago, flames destroyed another Cressona Textile building just a short distace away in North Manheim Township.

The Winstians believed someone broke in and set the fire to cover his tracks, but investigators could not figure out what started it.

The company had been using the building after flames destroyed the original business in March, 2006. The cause of that fire was undetermined, but it was considered suspicious.

Police questioned several people, but no arrests were made.

The latest fire leveled the building that was rebuilt on the original site. Friends offered their support after the latest blow.

“It`s devastating. They`re very good people,” said Nancy Roberts of Lake Winona. “They don`t deserve this.”

Cressona Textiles has been around for 41 years, but now its future is uncertain.

“Everything you go to replace is five times what it used to be. I don`t know what I`m going to do,” said Leland Winstian.

“This is his life. He`s worked since he was a young boy. He`s built this business to what it was and I don`t know what he`s going to do,” added his wife.

The state police fire marshal said the cause of SAturday’s fire is undetermined.

Leland Winstian estimates there is $750,000 worth of damage to his business and that it could cost anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000 just to haul away all the ruined products.

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