‘Devastated and heartbroken’: Family business near Porterville destroyed by fire

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Family members are asking for help after their grandparent’s multi-generational business burnt down in Tulare County on Thursday night.

According to the Tulare County Fire Department, L & S Appliance Repair Service outside the City of Porterville was the business that burnt down.

Melanie Sweeney, the granddaughter of the store’s owners, says the business was a complete loss. She says everything from customers’ appliances to hundreds of parts, tools, and family antiques were destroyed.

“My whole family is devastated and heartbroken,” Sweeney said. “Our business was burned from the inside and everything was ruined. This was my grandparents’ livelihood, they are both 70 and 80, so working elsewhere is not an option.”

Sweeney says L & S was opened in the 1980s by her great-grandparents and has been a second home to her grandparents, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings over the years.

Those interested in donating can visit the family’s GoFundMe webpage .

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