No injuries as fire consumes popular Arnold restaurant

What started as a kitchen fire Wednesday afternoon at the popular Ida's Place restaurant in Arnold destroyed it and damaged a neighboring business.

The fire was reported at about 4 p.m. at the Italian restaurant at 1605 Fifth Ave. Heavy smoke could be seen pouring from windows in the building's upper floors and blanketed the streets west of the restaurant like fog.

No injuries were reported.

The three-story building is in a row of businesses in Arnold's commercial district.

Forced Air Furnace Co., which is connected to Ida's, sustained smoke and water damage.

The windows above the furnace business were broken out and a large crack had begun to form in the brick at the back of the structure.

Amy Bracken said she walked from her home on Constitution Avenue when she heard the fire trucks.

She said flames were shooting from second-story windows at the back of the restaurant on Ivy Alley.

Flames were still visible in the back at 5 p.m., an hour after the blaze started. At 6 p.m., firefighters continued to battle hot spots and flare-ups.

Arnold fire Chief J.C. Tedorski said the flames spread quickly through the wood-frame building.

“Fire was in the walls and the ceiling,” Tedorski said. “Once it reached the first floor, it ran the whole way up the wall.”

The chief said the blaze started in the kitchen; its cause was under investigation early Wednesday evening.

The iconic Ida's Place restaurant has been operated by Ida Peluso for 35 years.

In addition to her fine cooking, Peluso's colorful personality was part of the dining experience. She was featured in a 2011 Valley News Dispatch story titled, “At Ida's restaurant, it's like a dinner and a show.”

Gary Ross of Lower Burrell said he had lunch there with friends earlier Wednesday.

A friend who has a business in town called to tell him about the fire.

“When you watch a building burn, it's devastating,” he said. “You think about all the memories and the personal things inside.”

Christina Rochlanski of Arnold said she's worked at Ida's as a server for eight years.

She had just gotten off work at 3 p.m.

“I'm just glad I wasn't in there,” she said.

She walked over after hearing fire trucks and getting a call from her boyfriend making sure she was OK.

“This is crazy,” she said. “I'm just concerned about Ida.”

Peluso appeared uninjured as she stood outside Arnold Furniture watching firefighters. She declined to comment.

John Hibbard also works at Ida's. He was home on break at the time, but learned of the fire quickly because he lives just two doors down, above Lighthouse Ministries.

“I was just getting ready to go back to work,” he said. “I don't know what I'm going to do now.”

He said Peluso is a good boss.

“She is just the best lady around,” Hibbard said.

Jodi Weigand is a Tribune-Review staff writer.