Rochester fire ravages buildings, injures four

ROCHESTER — Fire crews were still quenching hot spots more than 12 hours after an intense blaze destroyed two borough buildings and injured four people.

More than a dozen departments assisted in battling the multi-alarm fire, which erupted around 2:30 a.m. Thursday in the 100 block of Brighton Avenue in Rochester.

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The fire’s cause is still under investigation, but emergency responders believe it started in an apartment unit and spread to the Pickle Jar antique shop next door, the former Blue Violet Cafe site. The prominent Rochester building was erected more than a century ago, Beaver County building records show. It was once home to the three-story Goorin and Harris Furniture store, later Harris Furniture.

Beaver County Emergency Services said four people were injured in the fire – three firefighters and one apartment resident were taken to the hospital ‒ but all four are expected to recover. Emergency responders, lacking enough water, had to bring in tankers with river water to fully extinguish the flames.

Demolition crews on Thursday afternoon bulldozed much of the structures' remnants.

The Blue Violet Cafe, a performance space hosting primarily Christian music artists, closed a decade ago. The nonprofit community theater group R-ACT later filled the space, then called the Avenue Theater. R-ACT left the location in 2018 and now performs at nearby Segriff Stage on Brighton Avenue.

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“(We) are heartbroken to learn that our old performance space was devastated by fire last night,” R-ACT members said in a statement Thursday. “While we've not resided nor performed there since 2018, the building held so many wonderful memories. Our thoughts are with all of those impacted by the fire. The old Blue Violet, as it was so fondly referred to, helped our organization to develop and grow.”

Pickle Jar Antiques' owner Helena Schaefers moved to the Rochester location in May 2018 after leaving her previous shop in Center Township, bringing with her a collection of rare, historic and vintage items for sale. Last year, store owners celebrated selling a Victorian sofa used in the Netflix series “The Chair” filmed in Sewickley. Prior to that, Pickle Jar sold upholstered armchairs used in the Matthew McConaughey movie “White Boy Rick.”

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Pickle Jar employee Lindsey Hughes, who was combing through the wreckage Thursday hoping to recover what she could from the store as demolition crews arrived. “The place I worked at and put my heart and soul into just burned to the ground. Just so heartbroken and still in shock.”

Nearby businesses, including Uncl' Chuck's Bar & Grill, are expected to remain closed until Friday.

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