Community works to tear down and rebuild softball field

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Luzerne County High School softball field will now be torn down and rebuilt.

A fire destroyed multiple parts of it Thursday night, leaving thousands of dollars of equipment to be replaced.

Fire ripped through Holy Redeemer’s softball complex Friday night. Destroying everything from a pitching machine to tractors. All of it will have to be replaced.

Our cameras were there when one of the players saw it for the first time.

The concession stand and the storage unit at Holy Redeemer softball field are now in pieces on the ground and boarded up after a fire on the Fourth of July.

“Immediately I was shocked. I was like wow this is. And I couldn’t believe it at first,” said Abby Williams an incoming senior for the Lady Royals.

Heading into her senior year Williams a shortstop for the Lady Royals this past season met me down at the field Friday to see the damage for herself along with Assistant Coach John Bryan.

“To see it like this now it’s like day and night. It’s unbelievable,” says Bryan.

Softball equipment like nets, tees, a pitching machine, and field equipment like two tractors were all destroyed by flames. Now having to be replaced.

All of which were paid for by money raised through donations.

“You wouldn’t think that softballs, tees, and nets would mean something but they really do when you are using them every single day and you are going out for tee work and you see they went up in flames,” explained Williams.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown already with a plan in place.

“We’re going to rebuild. We’ll make sure this is a place where the kids could come and have a great game and be proud of the field,” stated Mayor Brown.

Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Joseph Coffey who also coaches the Lady Royals says this field is more than just a place to play a game.

“We’re the ones who built it back in 2014 and we are the ones who made it the field that it is today with the help of the city and it’s something very near and dear to our hearts,” added Chief Coffey.

Several travel teams, a junior high team, and even trainers have all used the field in addition to the Lady Royals.

It’s become a place that’s seen a lot of victories and memories.

“It was a place where we performed together. We trust each other and built team chemistry on this field and we just hope everything can get fixed before next season,” says Williams

A piece of the building is tipping. Caution tape up around the field to ensure safety.

Chief Coffey urges people to stay out of the area. He says the fire is under investigation.

To help out the team visit their Gofundme .

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