Fire destroys popular bar in Andalusia, Bucks County

BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A fire destroyed a local bar and grill early Thursday morning in Andalusia, Bucks County.

The fire broke out around 4 a.m. at the Andalusia Bar & Grill in the 900 block of Bristol Pike in the Grandview Plaza strip mall.

"Crews went inside, hit with heavy smoke conditions, they eventually had to pull out of the building," said Battalion Chief Rob Sponheimer.

Utilizing an aerial approach, drowning the flames and hotspots from cherry pickers, it took more than 70 firefighters over an hour to put out the flames.

After combing through the debris left behind later Thursday, Gino Tripodi held picture of the American flag. It was the only thing to survive the massive fire which destroyed his small business.

For him, it's a sign of hope for a brighter day ahead.

"It's the only surviving piece, but I'll take it. It's a start, it's a start to rebuilding. It's the American dream to rebuild, right?"

Chopper 6 was overhead as firefighters work to put out fire at local bar and grill in Andalusia, Bucks County.

Employees of Andalusia Bar and Grill say the watering hole, now reduced to crumpled metal and wood, was more than just a business.

"It's a home, it's not a bar. What you see is not what you get," said employee Diana Mangoni. "People who go inside understand what I mean when I say that."

Longtime customers coming by to check out the damage echo those sentiments.

"It's like, like family members. Everybody knows everybody," says Teddy Williams of Andalusia.

Daylight showed the damage to about ten neighboring businesses including CMC Engineering.

"It's a lot of water damage and smoke damage. We're just trying to get our things out before they board it up. We do not have a timeline as to when we can get back in there," says CMC employee Jameen Lanclos.

The owner of Andalusia Bar and Grill says it was recently renovated. Tripodi says he'll be relying on his insurance policy to figure out what's next for him and his business.

The same thing goes for many of these small businesses here at the shopping center.

Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of the flames.