Early Estimates of $1 Million Damage in Bridge Street Fire

A fire that destroyed two buildings in the 300 block of Bridge Street Sunday night caused an estimated $1 million in damage, according the county's chief fire marshal. 

That estimate factors in both the buildings—an appliance warehouse and a vacant apartment building—and their contents, Chester County Chief Fire Marshal Harrison Holt said. The fire marshal's office is still waiting on some information from the insurance company regarding the estimate. Parts of the building are unsafe and personnel are having a difficult time accessing those areas to determine how much was lost.

The warehouse was home to inventory from , Holt said. The Appliance Alliance retail location on the same block was not damaged by the fire. 

The fire hit "three plus" alarms, according to Phoenixville Fire Department Chief Jim Gable and it brought 24 fire companies, with all hands working, to the borough. 

Holt said the cause of the fire was likely an electrical problem that sparked on the second floor on the east side of the Appliance Alliance warehouse at 350 Bridge St. 

"We're positive it's an accidental fire," Holt said. 

A state police fire marshal was also on scene Sunday night and came to the same conclusion, Holt said. He noted that it's possible a power outage caused by the October snow storm over the weekend could have led to the electrical issue in the building. 

"The power came on a couple hours before the fire was reported," Holt said. 

He praised the dozens of companies that responded and said Phoenixville Fire Department and the others worked hard to keep the fire from spreading.

"They did a great job containing the fire," Holt said. 

The call for the fire came in at 6:31 p.m. on Sunday evening and crews worked through the night to battle the blaze. Support trucks brought food and bathrooms, and the county's mobile communications unit served as a headquarters.

A source said at the same time as the Phoenixville fire, Honey Brook and Twin Valley each had two-alarm fires and Lionville also received a call while battling the Phoenixville blaze. 

In March 1999, Holt investigated another fire in the borough right across the street from Sunday night's fire. Known as Shanaman's Lumberyard at 347 Bridge St., a large fire destroyed much of the block across from Sunday's blaze, according to Philadelphia Inquirer archives. That fire, which destroyed four businesses and caused $3 million in damage, was investigated and ruled an arson