I was out for dinner with my wife and daughter at 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon. We were at one of the Reading area's most popular restaurants, so the wait for a table at that time of day was at least 30 minutes.

As we stood in the waiting area, a woman near us was on her cell phone. I'm not one to eavesdrop on conversations, but the woman was only a few feet from us and what she said piqued my interest.

She was telling her friend about the black smoke she saw while driving past Pottstown. Heading north on Route 100, she said she saw several firetrucks from Boyertown heading toward Pottstown. She mentioned the fire started at Levitz furniture -- I knew that couldn't be right -- and the damage was pretty bad.

As soon as we returned home from dinner, we logged onto www.pottsmerc.com. A video from photographer John Strickler was already uploaded showing the devastation.

So when you are out and about, keep your ears open. You never know what you might find out.