West Newton's main street reopens after tavern fire
West Newton officials lifted a road closure Monday after they determined a burned-out building on Main Street was unlikely to fall onto the roadway and endanger motorists.
That portion of Route 136 wasn't damaged in Sunday's fire, but borough officials closed the block in front of Demarchi's Tavern until early Monday afternoon. Mayor Mary Popovich and borough street supervisor Randy Shincovich said the section of the main thoroughfare, which gets heavy truck traffic, was closed as a safety precaution.
Two parking spots and the sidewalk in front of the bar will remain blocked off, Popovich said.
The borough started losing a historic part of its downtown when fire departments were alerted to the tavern blaze just after 4:30 a.m. Sunday. The tavern has been in the Demarchi family for decades. The property is owned by Michael Demarchi and Joseph Demarchi Jr., according to county records.
Family members could be not be reached Monday.
“When you live here all your life, you always hate to see things go away,” Popovich said of the small Youghiogheny River town. “It's sad that it has to change as a part of disaster.”
The tavern sits between two buildings in the center of a block flanked on one side by railroad tracks. The fire caused its roof to collapse in the middle.
The cleanup of minor water and smoke damage in the neighboring Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 31 began Monday morning, said club administrator Jim Kisner. The Moose's brick building is a fallout shelter, he said.
“It's super strong; the walls are very thick, there's a lot of steel construction,” Kisner said.
But the tavern next door had a lot of wood inside, he said. Before it was purchased by the Demarchi family, the tavern was named the Chestnut Inn for its bar, which was crafted from chestnut wood, he said.
“It had a beautiful chestnut bar in there,” Popovich said.
The fire remains under investigation.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374 or rsignorini@tribweb.com.
