FARRELL VFW hall fire fails to stop activities

Some members are at a loss over the destruction of their meeting place.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- Their hall may have been destroyed by fire but that didn't stop members of VFW Post 5286 from providing lunch for the pupils at Monsignor Monti School Tuesday.
It's an annual Veterans Day affair, said Terry Kromka, commander of Post 5286, which burned early Sunday.
Authorities believe an electrical problem caused the blaze.
Kromka said pupils from Monti School come to the post on Idaho Street each Veterans Day to put on skits to entertain the members.
The members return the favor by serving lunch to the children.
That tradition didn't end because of the fire, Kromka said, explaining that the event was held at Fatima Hall on Union Street, adjacent to the school.
A unit from the post also marched in Tuesday's Veterans Day Parade at 6 p.m. in Wheatland, he said.
Will rebuild
The loss in the fire was devastating, Kromka said, noting that a lot of irreplaceable items were lost.
"The plans are to rebuild. There's no doubt," he said, adding that the issue will be put to the membership in a meeting at 7:30 tonight at VFW Post 7597, which has offered to let Post 5286 use its hall.
Other posts have been generous with offers of help as well, Kromka said.
Some of his 700 members are at a loss, he said, explaining that the post was a daily meeting place for some who stopped by to have a beer, play cards or just talk with friends.
Kromka has been getting a lot of calls from people upset about the fire.
"They don't know what to do. It's real devastating to some of them," he said. "It's a very friendly atmosphere there. Everybody knows everybody."
One member of the auxiliary suggested he park his van in the post lot to give people a temporary place to gather, he said.
Kromka was able to get back into part of the building Sunday in an effort to recover various items, but it appears nearly everything has been lost.
A small amount of money, some rifles, the charred original post charter and the charred post colors were recovered, he said.
However, various displays of medals, memorabilia and a lot of historic photos were destroyed, he said, lamenting the loss of photos of charter members and other post members who are now gone.
Those things can't be replaced, he said.
Metal melted
The building had metal sides which trapped the heat inside, and authorities estimated the temperatures reached 1,500 degrees, melting nearly everything made of metal, he said.
All of the bingo equipment, the bar and the boccie courts were destroyed, he said.
There's still a chance that some items may be found, once he can get into the rest of the building. Some of the structure is still off-limits because portions of the roof collapsed, he said.
The building was insured for $350,000 or $400,000, Kromka said, adding he isn't sure of the exact amount because the insurance policy burned in the fire.
That should be enough to rebuild, but if it isn't, "We'll do whatever it takes" to complete the project, he said.