Alle-Kiski Valley residents are in shock at the loss of Futules’ Harmar House after the landmark banquet hall that would have celebrated its 25th year in business on Monday went up in flames Wednesday night.

The Harmar business was known for hosting a variety of events, from wakes to weddings, sports banquets and even a recurring reptile show and sale.

Co-owner Nick Futules Sr., 70, said he often had youth athletes who attended a sports banquet there return years later to celebrate their weddings.

“The fact that we’ve served this Valley … People depended on us,” Futules said. “They really did. I did events for thousands of people over 25 years.”

The business’s parking lot received more traffic than usual Thursday morning as people stopped to see the damage.

At least 40 events scheduled through the rest of the year had to be canceled after the building, which in parts had three floors, was gutted.

Nick Futules Jr., co-owner with his father, said his family may not be able to save the building.

“From what I can tell, it looks like a total loss.”

The building was a combination hotel, banquet hall, bar and apartment building.

Once the fire reached the second-floor hotel rooms, bystanders were able to spot flames shooting out from the roof. About 10 people were in the basement bar for a pool tournament when the fire began. A fire door leading to the basement was closed, and Futules said it wasn’t until they saw smoke coming down the steps that they got out of the building.

According to Allegheny Valley fire Chief Kevin Funkhouser, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire started with freshly cleaned rags that were stuffed in a pail and combusted. The fire was reported about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday. Futules and a few volunteers entered the building Thursday to try to recover security footage to confirm the cause.

Funkhouser said a firefighter was taken to a local hospital and evaluated for exhaustion. That person was treated and released.

The fire chief said crews used two hydrants, each at least a block away from the building on either side, and tanker 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.”

Futules Sr. said he left the building about 3 p.m. Wednesday. He was at the Pittsburgh Mills shopping center when he received a call from a resident saying his building was on fire.

“I thought that she had been mistaking the barbecue grill out front for smoke coming from the building,” Futules said. “That’s what I thought she saw. When I got here, I realized that wasn’t a fact at all. I got here before most of the fire companies got here. It burned for a good hour and a half.

Futules said the fire doesn’t just affect his business. Fifteen employees lost their jobs and nine residents were displaced after the flames spread from the event hall. Three apartments took the brunt of the damage, but the entire building has no electricity or water.

The nine people who lived in apartments there have begun searching for new housing.

The American Red Cross gave displaced tenants a $250 voucher to stay in a hotel for one night and pamphlets to help them find permanent housing.

“People lost their homes, their jobs,” Futules said. “People lost their banquets, weddings, anniversaries, class reunions. Between now and January, I had about 40 to 50 events scheduled.”

He said he plans to reach out to each client to explain personally why their events are canceled.

Before buying the hall in 1998, Futules and his brother worked as caterers there for six years, making the trip between Harmar and their family’s Verona restaurant.

“The most important part is that no lives were lost,” Futules said. “Places can be rebuilt.”

But right now, he’s not so sure.

“Now, I don’t know what to do,” Futules said. “I have no idea. It’s ironic. I was hoping the papers would come to interview me about our 25 years of business, not this.”

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