AKRON, Ohio — The Pavona's Pizza Joint sign is still standing and the words "We Love You" are written in chalk on the brick facade, but the green roof has crumbled and just about everything below it is now burned black and in ruins.
On Monday, three days after a devastating fire, husband and wife owners, Mark Mickey and Courtney Pavona, stood outside of their burned-down business and spoke to insurance adjusters and fire inspectors while trying to comprehend how this happened.
"Our whole family put a lot into this place, our whole family, the kids, me and her put our hearts and souls into this place," Mickey said while fighting back tears.
On Friday morning, heavy smoke poured out of the building followed by big flames, destroying the pizza shop and Mickey's Irish Pub on Sand Run Road.
Pavona's, which opened in 2016, was the culmination of Mickey's lifelong dream.
"I went to pizza school in New York, in State Island, to learn how to make honest-to-goodness New York style pizza," he said.
Fire investigators believe the fire started in the basement and spread up to the roof. It took more than five hours to get the blaze under control.
On Monday, fire investigators were back on the scene taking photographs, but the cause remains unknown.
The owners said they're extremely grateful to the firefighters who battled the intense two-alarm fire and for the outpouring of community support through phone calls, text messages, and social media messages.
"They've always been behind us and so supportive and it's just all about this community and we feel it every single minute right now," Pavona said.
The owners are also counting their blessings that the fire started before the business opened and that no one was inside or injured.
They're now focusing on helping their 17 employees who suddenly find themselves out of work. A GoFundMe pagehas been established to assist the workers.
"We're a big family. They're family to us," Mickey said.
"They have children. They have families and this was it," Pavona added. "We need to help them now and make sure that they're going to be okay."
Mickey and Pavona said the prospect of rebuilding is overwhelming at the moment, but it's something that they will think about in the coming days and weeks.
"I honestly want to do this again. I want to rebuild. I just don't know when, don't know how. I don't know what we're going to do yet. In my heart, I want to. I love this place," Mickey said.
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