A fire tore through the vacant former Sam's Restaurant on Morgantown Street in Uniontown early Monday, gutting the building and spreading to the attic of a duplex next door before firefighters could stop it. The blaze broke out shortly after 2 a.m. and left the restaurant a total loss, its roof collapsed and second floor gutted, while residents of the neighboring home were evacuated without injury.
Crews Forced From Building Amid Safety Concerns
The Uniontown Fire Department was called to 208 Morgantown St. shortly after 2 a.m., according to heraldstandard.com. Crews arriving on scene found flames showing from the back corner of the vacant restaurant, as reported by WTAE. Firefighters initially fought the flames from inside the building, but after roughly 10 minutes they were forced to switch to an exterior attack due to safety concerns, the station's report states.
That shift came too late to save the structure. The restaurant building is considered a total loss, per the same account, with its roof caving in and its second floor gutted by the flames. As reported by CBS News Pittsburgh, the fire that broke out overnight at the old restaurant also spread to nearby apartments before crews could contain it.
Flames Jump to Duplex Next Door
The fire spread to a home less than two feet away that had been converted into a duplex, according to heraldstandard.com, though the damage there was confined to the attic. All residents of that home were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported, WTAE noted.
Four local fire departments responded to the scene, along with Fayette EMS, the Pennsylvania State Police and the state police fire marshal, according to Observer-Reporter. Departments cleared the scene around 7 a.m. Monday, that outlet reported, before returning later in the day for an extensive cleanup.
A Building With a Changing History
The structure most recently housed From Scratch coffee shop and bakery, which closed in July, according to Herald-Standard's reporting. Hanna El-Ayazra owns both the restaurant building and the neighboring duplex, WTAE reported. The cause and origin of the fire remained under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal.
