A popular swimming program in Lafayette lost nearly all of its facilities when a fire tore through over the weekend. Supporters have started donating to help the Harriett Plummer Aquatics Swim School to rebuild.
Owner Kristian Lupinski saw her business go up in flames Sunday.
"As I go to pull down the driveway at the entrance, I saw the transformer blow, it go up in flames, and then eventually down the pole, and kind of take the whole hillside," said Lupinski.
A community gem now covered in ashes. Here's what's left of the Lafayette Tennis Club and Harriet Plummer Aquatic School that was destroyed in Sunday's fire. Hear from the school owner who witnessed the flames ignite. @KCBSRadio pic.twitter.com/xWUiMLEOeR
— Carrie Hodousek (@CarrieHodousek) October 29, 2019Only the pool itself is salvageable. Everything else is a charred wreck.
It's a loss for families who took lessons there in the swim center at the Lafayette Tennis Club. But it's also a loss for the instructors, who are now unemployed, Lupinski said.
"This was tragic," said Lupinski. "You know, they pay their bills, they're going to suffer hardships, you know, and anything I can do to prevent them from even going through that, I'm going to do. I'll find a way."
Lupinski started a GoFundMe page, which has raised $6,700. The money will be distributed among Lupinski, another owner and their employees.
