Smoky blaze strikes Squirrel Hill gateway
Vacant building next to old Poli restaurant destroyed; cause yet to be determined
A smoky, four-alarm fire that destroyed a vacant building Thursday afternoon at Forward and Murray avenues in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood should not deter plans for redevelopment at the property, said an official at a real estate firm in negotiations to sell the site.
The fire at the intersection — often referred to as the “Gateway to Squirrel Hill” — shut down much of the neighborhood into the early evening Thursday, but the city brought in a demolition contractor to raze what was left of the burned building and clear debris, and all streets except for Forward Avenue were reopened by 9 p.m., according to Sonya Toler, city public safety spokeswoman.
Smoke was so heavy at times that it totally enveloped the burning building, which fronted on both Forward and Murray avenues and was adjacent to the old Poli restaurant. The cause of the blaze, which is believed to have started on the second floor of the building, had not been determined.
Poli’s, a venerable Italian seafood restaurant at 2607 Murray
Ave., closed in 2005. The top floor of the old restaurant received moderate smoke damage, according to Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Cook.
Debris from the fire, including a portion of the burned building’s facade that collapsed onto the sidewalk, prompted public safety officials to close streets in Squirrel Hill for a time Thursday, but all except Forward Avenue were reopened to traffic by nightfall.
“The plans are that the building will be totally demolished [Thursday] evening and the roads will all be reopened in time for the morning rush,” said Ms. Toler.
Firefighters were still dousing hot spots at the building more than four hours after the fire was reported around 5 p.m. About 60 firefighters who arrived in 16 vehicles shot steady streams of water into it from every angle.
The building at 5808 Forward housed U.S. Professional Karate until it relocated in 2008 in anticipation of being displaced by the $50 million multi-use project for the structure. Also departing the location were tenants Pizza Amier, Tango Cafe and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. The building was owned by Alderson-Forward Properties, according to Allegheny County property records.
ACTION-Housing, a nonprofit agency working in partnership with Jewish Residential Services, has plans to put 40 units of housing at the old Poli building.
The burned building had been empty with utilities turned off for at least six months, according to city Councilman Corey O’Connor, whose district includes Squirrel Hill and who was at the scene.
David Glickman, director of retail services for commercial real estate broker Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, said a “strong local developer” is in negotiations to buy not only the property where the fire started but another across an alley at 5824 Forward Ave., the one-time site of the now-closed Squirrel Hill Theater.
Mr. Glickman, who was out of town but heard about the fire via text messages, said the heavy damage shouldn’t impact negotiations to sell the properties.
“It's unlikely anyone would have reused the existing buildings. I'm not saying fire is good, but the main value with the property is the land.”
Mr. Glickman, whose company has had the listing for three months, said he couldn't discuss the development plans other than to say both properties would be included.
NThe Squirrel Hill Theater was in business there for more than seven decades until it closed in 2010. The theater’s future was threatened by Poli’s closing and a proposed real estate development for the location that never reached fruition.
That proposed development, known as Forward Square, was a complex that would have included a hotel, condominiums, restaurants and retail establishments.
Instead, onlookers today gathered near a burning, abandoned building to watch firefighters work.
Sydney Vasilevich and her boyfriend, Matthew Armstrong, said they could see smoke from the Homestead Grays Bridge.
They came to the scene because Ms. Vasilevich was worried the fire was at the nearby Charles Morris Rehabilitation Center, where her mother works.
“We could see the flames; they were so huge," she said. “This is crazy.”
Abbey Brown, 28, of Greenfield, said she could smell the smoke from her neighborhood.
“We thought it was much closer,” she said.
John Freeman who was watching with his two children Isaiah, 13, and Jaelle, 11, said his family arrived as the first fire truck pulled up.
“At first it was just a little smoke,” he said. “We could see it seeping through the bricks in the side. Then once they busted all the windows on the second floor smoke came out and you could see the second floor burst out in flames.
“We had to step back 100 feet from where we were on the corner because smoke was billowing out even across the street and ash was falling.”