TEXAS TOWNSHIP -- A fire that broke out Saturday night on Route 6 near Honesdale gutted two shops, and left three others damaged by smoke and water.
Investigators have not determined a cause, but told merchants there was no evidence of arson.
Firefighters managed to stop the flames from reaching a carpet showroom, boutique, and health food store. However, two brand new businesses, 2 Cousins Construction and Savannah's Inspirational Woodworks, were reduced to charred rubble.
In the daylight, a grand opening flag still waved in the wind.
"Our grand opening was last Saturday. We were scheduling our ribbon cutting ceremony in two weeks," said Erich Buehring who owns the businesses.
The owners of the two businesses that were burned out know about overcoming hardship.
Savannah's Inspirational Woodworks was inspired by the death of the Buehring family's premature daughter in 2011.
Baby Savannah only lived for five minutes, but her parents made a plaque they could keep forever.
"We posted a picture of it on Facebook, people liked it, they wanted ones for family members they had lost, and it just kind of grew from there," Buehring said.
The Buehrings decided to open a store in Wayne County with a special memorial for their daughter.
"We called it Savannah's Corner. It was all memorial stuff. I kind of dug through that corner a little bit earlier; there is nothing left, it is all gone," said Buehring. "We still have her ashes at the house, and a picture of her. We can always make more plaques, at least nobody was hurt."
Since the plaques are manufactured and shipped at another location, the business can go on with orders from the internet. Many are displayed at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Savannahs-Inspirational-Woodworks/215744645278093.
And as Buehring spent his Palm Sunday searching through the rubble, he found something did in fact survive the fire: a stack of crosses, the one on the top of the pile inscribed with the word "Hope."