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Debris blankets inside of historic Ponchatoula arts center day after fire caused by lightning strike
PONCHATOULA — Debris still blankets the inside of a historic art gallery in Ponchatoula on Tuesday, the day after lightning struck the Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center.
No one was injured in the subsequent fire that started Monday evening, but damage to the building was significant, with much of the roof collapsing into the activity center. The roof was also left with several holes.
"We had the whole show already hung up, and the reception was supposed to be this Friday, and then you'd see, I don't know, maybe I taught them art so long ago, but you'd see all these firemen walking out with paintings under their arms. They knew how important those paintings were to us," Kim Zabbia, the Vice President of Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center, said.
The Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center is a nonprofit organization founded by Harry Gabriel, who worked to enrich the arts in Ponchatoula while preserving the history of its two historic buildings. Gabriel's locker with his picture inside stood tall after the fire.
Zabbia says the fire will not stop their mission of preserving historic buildings.
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