Fire at downtown Cambridge Springs building leads to roof collapse, gutted interior

May 14-- May 14--CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS -- The smell of smoke was still fresh in the air.

276 and 278 S. Main St., a building with joint addresses being prepped for a new brewery, Hardwaters Brewing, had suffered severe damage from a fire that started around 7 p.m. Sunday. The roof collapsed, and the interior was gutted.

"Smoke was so thick," Cambridge Springs Mayor Randy Gorske said the following morning. "It was black at times. I would be surprised if it could stand. It took a lot of damage."

The building continued to smolder, creating a plume of smoke despite the rainy Monday morning weather, which forced sleepy borough firefighters to return to Main Street to keep the area safe.

A state fire marshal was on hand, examining the building, though the property owner Rod Miller said the marshal would return in a few days to enter what was left of the building safely. Due to unsafe conditions, the fire marshal has yet to determine the cause of the fire.

In addition to the brewery that was to take over the first floor, there were four apartments on the second floor, three rented out to six people.

Miller's sister-in-law, a tenant in the building, was the first to notice the smoke, which activated smoke alarms, and she called 911. Miller said she got everyone out safely, although a fellow tenant was unable to save her dog, which died in the fire.

According to Miller, the Red Cross came to the scene and gave assistance to the tenants while 15 fire departments ultimately came to aid in putting out the flames, Cambridge Springs Safety Officer Tom Glenn said.

The fire departments involved were Cambridge Springs, Saegertown, Venango, West Mead 1 and 2, Vernon Central, Hayfield, Mill Village Fire Co., Girard, Stancliff Hose Co., Townville, Randolph, West Ridge, Edinboro, Perry Highway Hose Co. and the Edinboro Fire Police, Glenn said. Meadville Area Ambulance Service was also on the scene.

Also assisting were local residents who brought food and beverages, first to the fire hall, which lost electricity when officials turned the power off to the area, then to the historic Trolley Station, which had power. The Trolley Station served as a respite space for the estimated 100 firefighters who were working to eliminate the fire.

"Every time we have these major events, the community rallies," Gorske said. "People were constantly bringing food."

Gorske said the adjacent buildings suffered smoke damage but were largely spared from the blaze next door. Miller stayed at the scene until 4 a.m., and firefighters stayed for six to eight hours or more. He said he came the next morning around 10, and Cambridge Springs fire Chief Chris French had yet to go to sleep.

Miller said the building was insured but that it was too early to tell if the policy would cover the extent of the damage. He was also unsure as to the salvageability of any of the remaining structure. The building was owned by his in-laws and his wife Debbie's grandparents as a hardware store for decades.

"So much will depend on insurance, on the integrity of the building," Miller said, noting the brick walls that remained standing. "It's a lot more enticing if it maintains the facade that has the look."

Billy and Bethany Kissell of Townville were also at the scene the next morning. The Kissells were preparing to launch Hardwaters Brewing around July. Billy serves as a full-time brewer for Erie's Union Station, while Bethany is a teacher at Cambridge Springs Junior-Senior High School.

"Our dream is to own a brewery, so we're going to own a brewery," Bethany said. "I just don't know what that's going to look like or where it'll be. We wanted it to be here."

She said insurance covered everything they was lost and recognized that, while they had lost their business, others had lost their homes. Nevertheless, the Kissells had spent three years of effort to make Hardwaters a reality. Miller confirmed that they were only six to eight weeks away from opening.

"Bottom line, it's just a building, and it's just stuff," Bethany said. "This is an amazing community. That's a big part of why we wanted to be here and why we'd like to still be here. I'm just so thankful for the fact that everybody's OK. We have the option of moving forward."

Gorske praised the "well-coordinated effort" of the firefighters to contain the fire and the borough residents who came out to help into the night. He also acknowledged the difficulty of the situation for Cambridge Springs, which has had to suffer through the loss of the historic Riverside Inn due to a May 2017 fire.

"It is hard," Gorske said. "Positive things can still come out of it. It's hard to see a day later."

Tyler Dague can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at tdague@meadvilletribune.com.

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