A Derry Township restaurant and tavern sustained significant damage from a fire late Sunday, said Mark Piantine, Bradenville fire chief.
Employees of Lucky B’s American Bar and Grille at 2120 Lincoln Road, who lived in two second-floor apartments above the restaurant, were able to escape the fire without injury, said one of the owners, Anthony Wing of Unity.
The fire, which was reported at 11:40 p.m. Sunday, gutted the first floor of the building that housed the tavern and restaurant. The restaurant was closed at the time.
“It’s a shock,” said Wing, who owns the business with John Hart.
The fire is under investigation by a state police fire marshal. It appears the fire began in the ceiling of the kitchen, which was extensively damaged, Wing said.
The block building, which was built in 1947, kept the heat inside the building. Windows on the second floor apartments were broken during the fire. The flames were shooting out of the building, Wing said.
“We hope to rebuild, but we don’t know yet,” said Wing. They were awaiting an insurance investigator to assess the damage.
“Hopefully, we can get back sooner than later,” Wing wrote in a social media post.
“Our main focus is our employees,” said Wing, noting they had about 25 full-time and part-time employees.
The two business partners have owned the tavern since 2022. It previously was home to The Pond restaurant and tavern.
Wing and Hart praised first responders for their effort in working through subfreezing temperatures, snow and ice that formed from pouring water onto the fire.
Firefighters from Derry were assisted by fire departments from the Derry area, Latrobe, New Alexandria and Unity, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. Firefighters were on the scene until about 2:30 a.m.
