Fire destroys long-standing Avonmore bar – third to burn in 6 years

An Avonmore bar was destroyed on Saturday by a fire which a fire official said may have started in the kitchen.

My Buddy's Place bar, 407 Indiana Ave., was open when the fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, but no one was injured. A dog was missing.

Avonmore Deputy Fire Chief Jim Shaffer said the cause of the fire was not immediately clear, but he added it could be a grease fire.

Three hours later, crews were still battling a fire in the three-story building. The second floor collapsed into the first floor, Shaffer said.

This was the third Avonmore bar destroyed by fire in the last six years, joining Guy's Tavern in September 2021 and the Avonmore Italian Club in December 2018.

Smoke and flames were coming from the building, but no other buildings appeared to be damaged.

More than 30 fire companies from across the Alle-Kiski Valley responded. Many surrounding streets were blocked.

“It’s just crazy,” neighbor Brian McGuire said.

McGuire said he and his family returned from swimming around 4 p.m. and heard sirens shortly after.

“My mom called me and told me the bar was on fire,” McGuire said.

Neighbor Cheyenne Nipps was stunned by the magnitude of the response to the fire.

“It’s a sad situation,” she said.

Longtime Avonmore resident Ray Skovenski was sad to hear about the fire.

“I grew up in this place,” he said. “They let us go out and play pool.”

Jim Monteli, who lives next to the bar on Indiana Avenue, thought the building, built in 1888, was one of the oldest in the borough.

Although he lives next door, Monteli wasn't worried because he said the fire department's response was astonishing.

“These guys are worth their weight in gold,” Monteli said. “These guys are exceptional – and they are mostly volunteers. It's amazing how quickly they responded.

Monteli said he was playing his piano when he heard sirens.

“I wasn’t worried at all when I came out,” he said. “These guys know the business. They know their job better than most people.

Lou Corder of Indiana Avenue was working in his garage when he saw smoke.

“There was a time when you couldn’t even see over there,” said Corder, who lives a few blocks away. “That’s how bad the smoke was.”

He was disappointed to learn that the fire was at My Buddy's Place.

“I had a lot of fun at this place. I had a great time there,” Corder said. “Now we'll have to find somewhere else to go.

“Small quiet town, everyone comes here to see what’s going on.”