BOWERS, Del. (AP) - A Delaware river has claimed a nearby bait shop that stood as an icon to the surrounding town’s history as a commercial fishing hotspot.
News outlets report Frenchie’s Bait & Tackle partially slid into the Murderkill River late Monday. The shop’s front end still sits on the shores of Bower Beach, where it was rebuilt after it burned down in the 1990s. Owner and commercial fisherman William “Frenchie” Poulin says it appears the shop’s eroded pilings gave out.
The Bowers Beach Maritime Museum said responding authorities turned off the shop’s power and worked to contain any hazardous materials, such as oil. It said a cat that lived at the shop is now homeless.
Councilman Bob McDevitt says no one was injured. Poulin previously served as Bower’s mayor and as a councilman.
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