Fire Destroys Historic Pennsylvania Hotel

Sept. 09--BELLEFONTE -- A fire this morning destroyed the former Garman Hotel that housed Hotel Do De, the second devastating blaze to an historic downtown building in almost three years.

The cause of the blaze, reported around 12:30 a.m. and not under control until around 6 a.m., is still undetermined, said Bellefonte Fire Department Chief Tim Schreffler. A state police fire marshal and local officials will investigate the cause.

All tenants of the building either escaped or weren't home at the time of the fire, said the building owner, John Dann Sr., who also runs the Hotel Do De bar. All bar patrons escaped unharmed, he said.

The building appears to have the most extensive damage in the back. But it's not known yet if that's where the fire started.

Schreffler said the fire was so involved that he evacuated firefighters three times before being able to get the upper hand.

The Do De building, on the 100 block of East High Street, is between the Garman Theatre and the Centre County Courthouse Annex.

The Garman Theatre sustained fire and smoke damage, the most severe to the fourth floor, Schreffler said. The fire did not reach the annex building, which sustained smoke and water damage.

Neither the Garman Theatre nor Do De building had sprinklers.

But Dann said the smoke alarm went off in the Do De building, and he and others alerted the tenants living in the upper floors. The fourth floor was a storage area for things like antiques.

The cupola on the Do De building appears to be sagging inward. Fire officials are expected to close the sidewalk and street to all traffic out of safety concerns over the building.

Stephen Dress, 33, was one of the tenants inside the building at the time of the fire. He said he heard the smoke alarm and thought it was a false alarm until he heard someone banging on the doors telling people to get out.

He said as he was leaving via a back entrance, toward Cherry Lane, he saw fire between the theater and the Do De.

"They weren't that big at the time," he said of the flames.

He salvaged his cellphone from his one-room apartment.

The Red Cross was providing shelter and relief for those made homeless by the fire. The Salvation Army was on the scene as well. The Faith Centre provided the displaced tenants with clothing.

Jeff Parisou, a resident who lives on the second floor of the building, said he arrived home from work and noticed smoke in his apartment about 11:50 p.m. Saturday.

"As far as I know everybody was out and that's the whole deal of it," Parisou, a former firefighter, said. "You can always rebuild."

Dann, clutching a beer at his waist, watched in disbelief as firefighters worked to control the blaze at the building he's owned for 34 years. Friends, family and tenants took turns speaking with him.

Many of the tenants stood nearby, among a crowd of more than 100 bystanders, early today.

In the crowd, Rebecca Dean, of Bellefonte, watched as the smoke billowed out and an orange glow became visible from the roof, around 2 a.m.

"It's just heart-breaking," she said. "I'm really just glad that everyone got out OK."

Her friend Rona Richner, one of Dann's daughters and a bartender, said people in the Do De smelled smoke and ran out.

There were about 35 to 40 people in the bar.

Merle Lucas, who lived at the historic Bellefonte Academy months before it was leveled by a 2004 blaze, said he just arrived for an overnight shift at the new Weis Markets when he got word of the fire.

"Somebody came and said the Do De is on fire. I left work and as soon as I came home I see my home smoking," Lucas said.

Larry Heeman, who's lived there for about a year and a half, said he just turned in for the night when he heard the smoke alarms. Fighting a cough, he watched the blaze on a cool night wrapped in a blanket given to him by a Red Cross relief worker.

"The place filled up pretty quickly with smoke on the third floor," he said. "I found my shoes and stumbled down the fire escape out back."

Centre County Commissioner Chris Exarchos was one the scene and commended firefighters for their efforts.

"They did a great job in containing the fire and not losing more buildings," he said. "Every time you have these it's devastating."

County Administrator Tim Boyde sad he's hopeful the courthouse annex building will be open on Monday for court proceedings.

The last fire to damage an historic downtown Bellefonte building was in December 2009, when a blaze engulfed the Cadillac Building on the corner of Bishop and Allegheny streets. The building was not demolished, the third floor remains open to the elements, but the Borough Council has discussed what to do with the structure.

Three firefighters were treated for likely smoke inhalation.

The Bellefonte Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Alpha in State College, Milesburg, Pleasant Gap, Walker Township, Reliance from Philipsburg, Boalsburg and Centre Hall. Bellefonte police and Spring Township police were on the scene, too.

CDT staffer Dave Kubarek contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 - Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.)