RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — For the second time in two months, fire crews were called out to a Riviera Beach thrift store on Sunday.
This time, the massive fire shut down the 2800 block of Broadway Avenue, and left behind more than just physical damage.
The CEO of Jesus And You Outreach Ministries said they were still recovering from a small fire that he says was set in near the back of the building two months ago.
"It's a bad loss," said Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder.
For Felder, this building was more than a store.
"It was a big way where we were able to fund our men’s recovery program," Felder said.
Felder is the CEO if Jesus And You Outreach Ministries, which operates a shelter and recovery program that houses up to 47 men in the area. He said the thrift store helped fund a lot of their programming.
"It's a big loss not only to the family of Jay ministries but also the Roya family," Felder said. "Four walls is about all we have left.”
After more than 12 hours, a crew of around 50 people from four different agencies helped extinguish most of the hot spots.
However, Riviera Beach Fire Chief John Curd said there is still a long road ahead.
"With the way that the sidewalk is covered by a portion of the roof of the building, I wouldn’t be comfortable with anybody walking underneath that structure until it comes down. Or it’s determined by an engineer that it is safe," Curd said.
No one was injured in the fire and the cause is still under investigation.
