CONOWINGO, Md. — She awoke to cries of ‘Fire!’ from the meat processing building behind her home in Conowingo, and Kara Sexton’s first concern was for Josh Garvin who was always the first one to arrive at work at the Galvinell Meat Company.
“I came running down the driveway here to find him running around the corner,” said Sexton, “We both screamed at each other, ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Yes, I’m fine!' ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes!’ and the building was fully engulfed at that point.”
She would later learn how Garvin discovered the fire in the building, which dates back more than half a century.
“He saw the lights flicker and thought that was weird so he went into the utility room,” said Sexton, “As he opened the door, flames were shooting out. Sparks were shooting out so he immediately closed them and got on the phone with 911 and continued while on the phone with 911 to move animals out of the building to safety.”
RELATED: Cecil County landmark, Galvinell Meat Company, destroyed in two-alarm fire
In this tight-knit community just a mile from Southern Pennsylvania, the same day as the fire, 15 Amish friends showed up and helped move 18 thousand pounds of beef carcasses.
Friends and customers have showed up with heavy equipment, dumpsters and offers of freezer space to help clean up and salvage what’s left of a business that Sexton’s grandfather spent decades building up with his own hands before turning it over to the next generation.
“This was just a small, custom plant when I bought it,” said Dennis Welsh, “and we turned it into a federal-inspected plant through the years, and it was always a good, local business.”
The family says the USDA is already clearing red tape for the company to rebuild faced with a shortage of meat processors in the region, and a GoFundMe account has been launched to help employees of the business who now find themselves out of work.
If you’d like to help out, PA Boys BBQ is raising money for the company with a chicken barbecue to be held at the Wayvine Winery and Vineyard in Nottingham, Pennsylvania this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
