Harmar House events center catches fire, displaces 9 residents from apartments

Futules’ Harmar House banquet hall caught fire Wednesday evening right before dusk, displacing nine residents in apartments there.

The first call came in at about 7:20 p.m. and first responders reported that there was heavy fire in the banquet hall.

Numerous fire companies responded.

Lower Valley EMS chief Jamey Lavelle said there were some people in the lounge when smoke started to fill the building. He said everyone got out of the building safely and no injuries were immediately reported.

Allegheny Valley Fire Chief Kevin Funkhouser said the fire likely originated in a rear kitchen on the main floor.

He said crews used two hydrants, each at least a block away from the building on either side, and trucks also arrived with water. It took about an hour and a half to get the stubborn fire under control.

“We had complications due to a lot of compartments being in the building,” Funkhouser said. “There’s a rental facility here in the front. There’s a bar in the basement, and there’s multiple apartments. As units arrived, people were already evacuating. Everybody got out. All companies worked well together.”

Allegheny Valley Fire Chief Kevin Funkhouser talks about the fire at Futules’ Harmar House. pic.twitter.com/nJGUmmC1sy

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The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating. It was unclear late Wednesday if the building is a total loss.

“There is major damage,” Funkhouser said. “I can’t anticipate what an insurance company’s going to do, but it’s pretty bad upstairs. There’s smoke and water damage throughout the whole facility.

“However, a lot of the residences on the far side looks like it’s OK back there. There are apartments back there that had nothing to do with the fire.”

Building co-owner Nick Futules said the building contains 16 apartments, but not all are filled. He said nine tenants are displaced; none were hurt.

Futules said an unspecified number of weddings and banquets will have to be canceled.

Futules’ Harmar House is a popular events venue located along Freeport Road in Harmar. Freeport Road was shut down from Orr Avenue to Cheswick Avenue.

Little fire could be seen from the exterior for more than an hour but firefighters inside the building reported “high heat and high smoke” apparently inside the ceilings or walls.

Firefighters had a tough time cutting holes in the roof because of its construction, reported to be rubber laid over concrete.

Three ladder trucks were used to get firefighters on and off the roofs. They broke windows and used special tools to break through and vent the facility.

“It takes a lot to get through cement,” Funkhouser said. “We did initiate at least three vent on the cement side that needed it, and then we went on other roofs that weren’t cement.”

At one point, firefighters on the roofs were warned to stay off a certain section as it started to soften.

Once firefighters were able to cut a hole in the roof, firefighters on the ground reported “heavy, heavy” fire escaping.

Firefighters on the ground then reported having progress in an area of the ballroom. At about 9:25 p.m., a firefighter reported fire in the bar area.

Futules said he was shopping at the Pittsburgh Mills shopping complex when he got the call.

He tried to fight back tears while watching smoke come out of his iconic business.

“This is my whole life,” he said. “A lot of people depended on us.”

He expressed sadness for those whose event will have to be canceled.

“It horrible. We’ve been a part of this Valley since 1960. … Nobody got hurt, thank God.”

Monday is the 25th anniversary of Futules family’s ownership.

“Quite frankly, I just don’t know what to do,” Futules said. “We made a lot of memories. A lot of people over the years have been here, thousands. It’s been the place where everybody goes to celebrate, and it’s come to an end from the looks of it.”

Kirk Rice has been a tenant of Futule’s Harmar House for 11 years and is among the displaced.

Rice, 63, hopes to get help from the Red Cross. He also has relatives in the township and the Valley.

He said Futules would help out anybody he could, saying he took in a lot of “stray humans.”

“Nick is a fantastic businessman, landlord, owner,” he said. “It’s just a shame.”