Building of third generation Antioch florist business destroyed by fire, early Monday morning
Monday, December 18th, 2017
Owner Paula Franchetto-Trotta, husband Chris Trotta, her parents Bob and Mary Franchetto, and Fr. Roberto of Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church across the street assess the damage to the business Monday morning, Dec. 18.
The damage to the interior of the building.
By Allen Payton
The building that houses Paula’s Family Florist, located at 1412 A Street in Antioch, was destroyed by fire at about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning. Owner Paula Franchetto-Trotta, husband Chris Trotta, her parents Bob and Mary Franchetto, and Fr. Roberto of Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church were on hand at about 9:30 a.m. to assess the damage to the business.
It’s believed the cause was some homeless people starting a fire in the dumpster, Paula said. It’s a total loss, Chris said.
The business has been in the family for three generations and at the A Street location for over 50 years, Bob said, starting with his father. Cottage Florist is the former name before Bob and Mary sold the business to Paula.
Fortunately, Bob was late getting there, Mary said. He’s usually in by 4:00 a.m. and they believe the fire started about 4:30 when neighbors called the fire department. Bob said firefighters told him they had a hard time getting through the roof.
“I built the roof,” Bob added.
The family said they will move into and operate temporarily from the storage unit on the back lot of the property until all the insurance company can pay to rebuild. (See more photos on the Herald Facebook page)
The front of the building with fire retardant foam following the extinguishing of the fire Monday morning.
