Community helps Wilkes-Barre business after fire

Iyee Jagne
·2 min read

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — After an Edwardsville business was destroyed by a fire, the community rallied to help the owner of NEPA Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) business relocate.

After a fire destroyed a local mixed martial arts studio on February 15, owner Kyle Reed was devastated.

“Probably one of the most horrific experiences I’ve ever had to experience my life from getting the phone call to pulling up on the scene and just seeing everything that I built I dreamed and everything like that just gone with hours,” said NEPA MMA owner Kyle Reed.

Now, he is focused on rebuilding and says the community support means the world to him.

“That really meant a lot for us cause I didn’t really know how to kind of analyze everything that was going on a process everything that was going on, but just to know that so many people were standing behind me,” Reed explained.

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He says although this was a horrible experience, it has given him a push to expand.

“People have told me that I’ve mentioned that this might be a blessing in disguise, or a push,” Reed added.

That blessing comes in the form of a new bigger space that will allow him to offer more opportunities to the community.

“I’ll be over on Eli Street we’re gonna have over 10,000 square feet of training facility there with MMA karate kickboxing jujitsu, some weight training, and summer camp programs,” Reed continued.

Right now, he is working out of NEPA CrossFit which he says was all set up for him to use a day after the fire. Reed says they plan to open the new location in the weeks to come.

“Theoretically fingers crossed no hiccups, six weeks NEPA Mixed Martial Arts will be open as one of the largest training, MMA training facilities in the northeast and probably the coast East Coast,” said Reed.

Reed also wants to thank everyone who helped him through this and donated equipment and space to continue doing what he loves.

For additional information on NEPA MMA, you can email nepamma@gmail.com for more details.

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