Crystal Reef Aquariums up in flames

If you live in the Palm Beach County area then most likely you've visited Crystal Reef Aquariums on Northlake blvd.   On July 7th, 2009 their store caught fire due to an electrical fire.  Out of all the reef shops in PBC, this was down on the list of favorites for me.  Every now and then they would have a good deal on some zoas or gorgonians, but other than that their prices were a bit on the high side.  The owners have always been nice to me, but I've read elsewhere they a lot of people don't really like them because of the pouching the owner did a few years back.  I remember buying a few orange gorgonians for like $6 and now I know why they were so cheap!  I went past the store this weekend and saw both owners taking stuff out of the store.  Hopefully they'll make a quick recovery.. even though they weren't the best, they're still a reef shop!  We need as many as we can get.  Here's a clip from WPTV on the fire:

LAKE PARK, FL -- An early morning fire has damaged a long-established aquarium store along Northlake Boulevard.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m., a police car spotted flames inside the Crystal Reef Aquariums on Northlake near the intersection of Prosperity Farms Road.

Several North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Fire Rescue units quickly arrived at the scene.

When WPTV NewsChannel 5 videographer Chad Cromwell arrived he saw a large amount of smoke still coming from the fire, as PBCFR crews worked to fully extinguish the fire.

A fire investigator at the scene believes the fire cause was electrical, starting in the northeast corner of the business.

The owners, who were too distraught to speak, were trying to hook up a generator to restore power to the aquariums which contain sea life that survived.

 

Read the WPTV story here.