Rostraver auction house owners plan to rebuild following fire
ROSTRAVER – The owners of a century-old auction house plan to rebuild after a fire last month leveled their building in Rostraver Township.
Lee Gilmore, who owns Gilmore Auction Gallery with her husband, James, said they are still in business and are reviewing options for a new building on the same site along Martin Road.
“We can rebuild prettier and stronger,” she said Thursday.
The Gilmore family were inside the building when they noticed smoke about 4 p.m. Aug. 30. One of their sons opened the door to the attached warehouse and there was a “whoosh,” Lee Gilmore said.
She said futile attempts were made to douse the fire with extinguishers, but it spread too quickly. No one was hurt, she said.
A state police fire marshal investigated the blaze but has yet to issue a report on the cause of the fire, Rostraver police said.
Lee Gilmore said she was told the cause appeared to have been an accident, and her insurance company doesn’t want anyone on the property.
The business is planning to hold a tent sale in October, she said.
“We’re looking forward,” she said.
The company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, is still performing appraisals and collecting merchandise.