Early-Morning Fire Destroys Dormont Business

There were no injuries after a fire destroyed a West Liberty Avenue business and apartment building Tuesday morning, but for building owner Francesco Varrati, the fire meant watching part of his livelihood go up in smoke.

"I'm dumbfounded," said Varrati, who has owned the building since 1989. "It's total shock. That's all there is to say."

Varrati, who used to own Varrati's Pizza—now Angelina's Pizzeria—on the first floor of the building, is retired and said the building was his main source of income. He does have insurance, he said.

Dormont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeff Arnold said the fire call came in at 5:15 a.m. March 26. Several local departments were at the scene within minutes, but Arnold said the fire was particularly difficult to fight. Crews were still pumping water into the building almost three hours later.

"We're in defensive mode right now because the whole building went up," he said. "At this point, the building is a total loss. This was a very stubborn fire. We chased it all over the place."

Arnold also said crews initially had trouble shutting off a gas line into the building, which was a major concern.

The apartment building next door was evacuated for safety reasons, and businesses in the block began to open late Tuesday morning, although on-street parking was unavailable.

Katana restaurant, Eljay's Used Books, Diskriter, Cain's Saloon and South Hills Beauty Academy are among the businesses located in that block. Information about possible damage to neighboring buildings was not available Tuesday morning.

Arnold said the cause of the fire is unknown, and those details might not be available until later this week. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the building was too unstable for the county fire marshall to enter.

Fire departments from Mt. Lebanon, Green Tree, Kirwan Heights, Castle Shannon, Whitehall Borough, Scott Township, Upper St. Clair and Pleasant Hills assisted Dormont.

Continue to follow Dormont-Brookline Patch as details become available.

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