Fire Damages Lancaster Bar, Leaves One Resident with Burns

Officials are still investigating the cause of a two-alarm fire that left a popular Lancaster bar closed and several people homeless last week on the same city block that has seen three significant blazes since the New Year.

Crews were dispatched around 5:15 a.m. on Friday to the 400 block of West Lemon Street for the report of a fire in an apartment above Brendee’s Irish Pub at 449 W. Lemon St.

Lancaster City Bureau of Fire Chief Todd Hutchinson said the fire started in a ceiling space in an apartment, causing heavy flames and smoke to pour from the third floor of the building. Hutchinson said firefighters quickly gained entry to the building, attacking the flames from the interior and the roof.

Hutchinson said firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in about 45 minutes, making sure the blaze didn’t spread further through the building that extends “back pretty far” on North Mary Street. He said crews had to contend with a spiral staircase that ran to the apartment on the second floor.

“It’s a pretty intense fire when it got up on the third floor like it did,” Hutchinson said. “The heat has nowhere else to go until you get it opened up. And then they had the spiral staircase on the second to the third floor, so that was a challenge for us to try to maneuver our hose lines up a spiral staircase.”

Two people lived in the apartment above Brendee’s. One occupant was able to escape safely, Hutchinson said, but the second resident sustained burns to his body and was transported to the Lehigh Valley Health Network Burn Center in Allentown.

Three people were also displaced from the neighboring apartments at 447 W. Lemon St. because of smoke and water damage. Hutchinson said the neighboring house had “minor burn marks” on the roof rafters on the third floor.

Representatives from the Red Cross were at the scene Friday morning providing help to the displaced residents. Lancaster City Mayor Danene Sorace was also at the scene attempting to coordinate help for the residents.

About 40 firefighters from four different fire companies responded to the scene, Hutchinson said, including Lancaster City, Manheim Township, Lafayette and Willow Street.

Hutchinson said the amount of fire showing from the building necessitated an immediate second alarm.

“Our whole goal was to hold it to the original fire building, especially how big that building was,” Hutchinson said. “It was going to be some labor involved in making sure that the fire was extending anywhere. It’s always better to call quickly and return crews than not call fast enough.”

There were no injuries to firefighters.

Hutchinson said the fire marshal is still determining the cause of the fire and will bring investigators into the structure this week. A damage estimate was not available.

The owners of Brendee’s posted a message on social media on the afternoon of the fire, saying, “Sadly, the flames got to our building today. We will let you know when we will be open again. Please be safe and enjoy your time wherever you choose to go while we repair.”

Several employees of the bar and restaurant stood across the street from the scene of the blaze, embracing each other as some of the workers went inside to try and salvage items. Restoration crews were at the scene by Friday afternoon to secure the building.

Additional Fires

Friday’s blaze marks the third fire that has occurred in the west end neighborhood on West Lemon Street in the past five months.

Anna Leavitt, 18, and her 13-year-old sister, died from injuries sustained in a New Year’s Eve fire that tore through their home at 427 W. Lemon St., less than a block away from the Brendee’s fire. The city fire department and Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the blaze was caused by an electrical failure.

A second fire at 301 W. Lemon St. on Feb. 6 caused extensive damage to the building at the corner of North Mulberry Street. The blaze, which still has an undetermined cause, left a family of three homeless after their previous home was also damaged in the New Year’s Eve fire on the same street.

Hutchinson said the city department has canvased homes to make sure smoke detectors are in working order and has also ramped up a program to install free smoke detectors. He said the smoke detectors in Friday’s fire were working and alerted residents to the blaze.

Hutchinson said there is no rhyme or reason why the fires have occurred in the same section of the city in a short period.

“It’s just an unfortunate coincidence,” Hutchinson said. “There’s nothing I can say why fires happen anywhere. It’s just unfortunate when they do happen. It just happens to be in that same area here in the last four months.”