Martin's Country Market in Lancaster County Destroyed By Fire

Just months after completing nearly $1 million worth of exterior renovations, the Martin's Country Market in Ephrata, Pa., has been destroyed by a fire.  

Local reports indicate that a store employee arrived at work shortly before 4 a.m. on Feb. 15 and smelled smoke. The employee got out of the building and called 911. Automatic alarms went off inside the building.

The first firefighters responded within minutes and found the fire at the back of the building.

Crews continued to douse the four-alarm fire as of Thursday morning, with a continuous stream of smoke pouring from the building for hours. 

The Martin’s Country Market building is reportedly a complete loss. Damage is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.

Located at 1717 West Main Street, the Lancaster County grocery store has been at the plaza since the late 1980s.

Martin’s Country Market celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. The business can trace its roots back to 1932, when farmer John F. Martin began selling poultry and produce to make ends meet. He later opened a butcher shop and meat-processing facility and added a grocery store in 1983. Today, the Martin family still owns and operates Martin’s Country Market and the John F. Martin & Sons Inc. meat plant. 

It's not yet clear what started the fire.