LITTLESTOWN, Pa. — The remains of Ma’s General Store were still smoldering Wednesday morning as owner Kathy Briner surveyed the damage.
“This was my life. I loved coming to the store every day and working,” she said. “So I guess it’s time for me to retire.”
First responders were called to Ma's General Store around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday after a passer-by saw smoke coming out of the building and alerted the people inside.
One customer suffered minor smoke inhalation injuries, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Fire officials on Wednesday said the rubble would likely continue to smolder for a few days. Firefighters are expected to visit the site every few hours.
Ma’s General Store sold antiques. It's building, a wooden barn, was originally built in 1875, according to Briner.
Briner said at 68, she didn’t plan to rebuild.
“Someone else made a choice for me. So I guess it’s time,” she said. “I’ll find something to do. I just don’t know what that is yet.”
On Wednesday, some customers came to pay their respects to a store that had long been woven into the fabric of the community.
“Littlestown is just a little town. It’s a tragedy to lose a business like this,” said former customer Gene Hartman.
Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but they don’t believe it is anything suspicious.
Briner said that, for her, the cause of the fire ultimately doesn’t matter much.
“I had thousands of customers and I loved them all,” she said. “Wonderful customers and I’m going to miss them. Really, really miss them.”