DANVILLE, Pa. — Flames tore through a building that was home to a dance studio in Montour County early Monday.
The fire started around 3 a.m. Monday inside the three-story building on Center Street in Danville. The apartment building next door had some smoke damage, but the fire did not spread.
The roof collapsed onto the third floor. Firefighters were not able to get inside the building because of the damage.
Firefighters battled smoke and flames for hours outside the building. Crews were not able to get inside the building because of the damage.
Several families were forced out of their surrounding homes because of smoke damage, but no one was hurt.
The building is home to the Karen Gronsky School of Dance. Owner Karen Gronsky has taught there for 26 years.
"As soon as I knew the neighbors were OK and my husband and I were standing next to each other and we were, 'OK, we are not hurt. It's going to be OK,'" Gronsky said. "I'm getting messages, 'Miss Karen, are you OK?' Yes, and we are all going to be OK."
Parents stopped by throughout the day. Lacey Welsh's daughter has been dancing here for six years.
"She doesn't know the extent. She doesn't know that the studio probably isn't going to be here anymore. But my job as a parent is to let her know that that's not where KGSD is. That's what she knows, but it's going to continue," Welsh said.
Gronsky says even though the studio's physical location is no longer here, she and her students will keep dancing.
"So grateful to the parents for supporting me. I couldn't have done anything without them. That's from my heart. The support has been phenomenal," Gronsky said. "The outpouring of love, I can't even return, hundreds and hundreds of messages from the dancing school family. That's why I know I have amazing people around me."
"There is a time to mourn," Welsh added. "But there's still going to be a time to dance, and all the dancers will."
The fire marshal was unable to figure out what started the fire because it was too dangerous to go inside.
A section of Center Street will be closed until they figure out what will happen with the building, but it will most likely need to be torn down.