CARNEGIE, Pa. — Channel 11 was there on Friday as crews started to clean up what’s left of Riley’s Pour House after it was destroyed in a fire.
PHOTOS: Flames rip through restaurant in Carnegie
The pub opened in 1979 in Carnegie and has been a staple ever since.
A steady stream of neighbors have been coming by to see the damage and take some final photos of Riley’s Pour House before crews completely demolish the building.
A pile of rubbish now sits where the restaurant once stood. Channel 11 News spoke with one of the owners who said he was in disbelief when he saw the flames pouring from the building.
“We live right up the hill, coming down, I could see the smoke already coming from the building,” said Joe Riley, the owner of Riley’s Pour House.
Riley said on Thursday afternoon he got a call from one of his staff members, that they were evacuating the lunch crowd, and before he could arrive, he saw the flames.
“When some of my staff started to show up that’s when it kind of hit, a lot of people rely on us, and they are family, and our customers are family too,” he said.
Riley’s Pour House has been a main street staple since 1979, and for decades the Irish Pub has hosted countless gatherings.
“Birthday, retirements, Irish pubs we have a share of wakes too. A lot of memories of my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary, my whole family portrait is on the wall of course that’s chard now,” Riley said.
According to officials, police, fire and medics were called to Riley’s Pour House just after 1 p.m. for a kitchen fire. Unfortunately, the fire continued to spread throughout the restaurant and the building was later deemed a complete loss.
Community members are already rallying to provide support.
“It’s honestly been overwhelming right now. We obviously want to participate and will put it out on our Facebook page,” Riley said.
Riley said there have been people trying to take advantage of the situation with fake fundraisers. He said all legitimate fundraisers will be posted on the pub’s Facebook page.
We asked Riley if he plans to rebuild and reopen, and he said yes, he owes it to his customers and 30 staff members all who he considers family.
“We do plan to rebuild, obviously it’s not even torn down yet but we talked about it this morning and we have every intention to rebuild,” he said.
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