Part of former Jeannette Brewery collapses during fire

JEANNETTE, Pa. — UPDATE 5:45 p.m.

Officials believe the fire that roared through a Westmoreland County building may not have been an accident.

"The fire was venting out in the garage and any part of the exterior it could at the ground level," said Chief Vance Phillips, of the Jeannette Fire Department. He said when firefighters arrived at the scene, they immediately took a defensive approach for safety reasons.

Shortly after, the roof collapsed.

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"We were fortunate for that because it actually played a positive role to let us access the fire quickly, and the collapse was internal so no worry to outside of structure or to firefighters," Vance said.

Fire crews were pumping so much water, it caused three water main breaks throughout the city, and flooding in the basements of three homes.

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Part of the former Jeannette Brewery in Jeannette collapsed Monday night after a fire broke out, officials said.

The fire in the now-abandoned building on Penn Avenue was reported about 9:30 p.m.

Crews had some difficulty fighting the fire because of a nearby water main break that caused low water pressure. Tankers were brought in and placed on standby.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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