Damaged Gas Line Found At Victory Taphouse Fire In Kennett Square

KENNETT SQUARE, PA — A fire that apparently started at the Victory Brewing Tap Room in Kennett Square left residents of the Magnolia Apartments above the brewery displaced on Monday night as emergency crews arrived from three counties.

No one was hurt, officials said, in a situation that called in PECO because inspectors smelled gas upon arrival.

Kennett Fire Company No. 1 reported an automatic fire alarm had gone off at the apartments in the 600 block of W. Cypress Street on the south side of Kennett Square Borough around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Kennett Fire Company reported that while its Engine 24 was en route to the scene, they were told the fire might be electrical. When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the first floor and crew members said they could smell natural gas.

Fire officials reported a gas line was exposed near the fire inside the building, and they immediately began evacuating the area. The brick structure known as Magnolia Place houses the Victory Taphouse on the ground floor and four stories of apartments above it.

Fire officials said PECO was requested at the scene, and other emergency responders were dispatched once the scope of the incident was determined. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by county officials and ATF, officials said.

As residents of the newer luxury apartments evacuated, they reported hearing a loud "boom" and "bang" sound, according to a report from 6ABC News Philadelphia. One man interviewed by 6ABC said, "All of a sudden the building splits open and a fireball shoots out of the corner."

Firefighters from Lancaster, Chester, and Delaware counties were called to the scene and local stations to cover the area, as well as specialty units, including a structural collapse team, an incident support team, and the county’s mobile communications truck, according to Kennett Fire Company No. 1 .

At one point, 59 units were on scene, with full crews on the fire ground, Kennett Fire Company No. 1 reported. Crews were on the scene until 2 a.m.