Massive fire breaks out at Pittsburgh-area marina and pub, dashing owner's plans to reopen
FORWARD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — A massive fire broke out at a marina on the Mon River Friday morning, dashing a business owner's hopes to reopen his restaurant.
The fire in Forward Township left McCrossin's Landing, a local pub and boat dock, a complete loss.
It once was a popular restaurant that sat right along the Monongahela River with a great view. Owner Sam McCrossin was hoping to open up again full-time in the spring, but now that hope is in ashes.
McCrossin's efforts since 2017 and life savings were gone before his eyes.
"I'm completely devastated over this matter. I had my heart and soul into this place. The amount of work I've done here is astronomical, the amount of work, and I'm just a small company, I work by myself, so to see this happen is just heartbreaking," he said.
McCrossin was recently going through a battle with CSX over the location of his restaurant, forcing his closure.
"Worked on it for quite a few years, built all the docks, went through all the motions, got it open for a short period of time and ran into all kinds of other problems where I had to close down," he said.
The fire's cause is still unknown and McCrossin is seeking out answers from the community.
"I'd like to offer a reward of $5,000 for any information leading to an arrest in this situation," he said.
The Allegheny County fire marshal is continuing the investigation. As far as McCrossin's plans to reopen, now he isn't sure.
