SHAMOKIN -- A coffee shop in Shamokin is closed following an arson over the weekend. Police say a teenager is responsible for all of the damage.
Yellow tape surrounds the Dunkin Donuts on West Sunbury Street in Shamokin. The popular donut shop is closed until further notice because of extensive fire damage.
"There's a lot of people that's definitely gonna miss it, no doubt about it," Denise Randall said.
A teenager is charged with starting a fire inside the restaurant on saturday night. Shamokin Police Officer Ray Siko said no one was hurt but the place has extensive damage.
Siko says the fire was started inside the women's bathroom. The toilet paper dispenser was lit on fire and within about a minute, the entire place was filled with smoke.
"The mother did explain that she has recently been put on new medication but as far as for what reason I'm not sure," Siko said.
The 13-year-old who admitted to setting the fire is currently at a juvenile detention center. Many people who live in Shamokin are upset that Dunkin Donuts is closed.
"Now I have to rely on myself to maybe go to a Turkey Hill or something where I don't like their doughnuts. I'd rather the doughnuts at Dunkin Donuts. I'm kind of dealing with it, but I really miss Dunkin Donuts," Alba Wehr said.
"I go there every day. I get a chicken bacon croissant. I get coffee or a Powerade if I'm dehydrated. I sit there all the time. If I have any legal work that I need to do I go there, I meet with my attorneys there," Dutch Smith said.
"I'm gonna miss that place if it don't open up. A lot of my friends go in there and get that cold coffee, iced coffee I guess it's called," Edna Faust said.
People miss their local hangout and hope Dunkin Donuts reopens soon here in Shamokin.
"Cheap, classy place to meet up. It's a place you can meet up with your friends. It's the only thing this town has," Smith said.
Officials don't know when Dunkin Donuts in Shamokin will reopen because the damage is so extensive. As for the teen who confessed to setting the fire, officers were able to confirm her identity through surveillance video shown on Newswatch 16.
