ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A massive fire on Front Street has turned an Allentown neighborhood upside down, damaging nearby homes and displacing dozens of residents.
The fire broke out Wednesday night at the historic, century-old American Atelier furniture factory, drawing a massive response from local first responders. Nearly 48 hours later, the cleanup continues as deeply buried areas of the heavy timber structure remain smoldering.
‘A range of emotions’: Old factory building that went up in flames is coming down, as demolition gets underway in Allentown
City officials say they are working to ensure the building is brought down safely. Demolition was initially expected to wrap up Friday, but the discovery of new hot spots has pushed the timeline back to Saturday.
“Some of the unknowns, we just need to be sure that the building is being brought down safely,” said Allentown Assistant Fire Chief Jon Steed. “For example, we have Riverside Drive still shut down… and the chance any debris should fall onto a lane of travel. So we just want to be extra safe to account for these unknowns.”
While crews navigate the logistical challenges at the scene, neighbors are left grappling with the sudden destruction of their community. Although no injuries were reported, the Red Cross and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley report that the fire has impacted 36 people across nine households, including 19 adults and six children.
Because the fire occurred at the beginning of summer, local officials noted that many of the displaced children who rely on school programs for breakfast and lunch face immediate uncertainty.
Since 1991, Robert Velez called the 300 block of North Front Street home. On Wednesday night, he and his wife watched as immense flames engulfed the factory and quickly spread to their own property.
“They call me and say, ‘Robert, I think your house is on fire,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,'” Velez said. “What am I gonna do now? Who am I gonna call? Never did this process before.”
The Velez family home, garage, and car suffered severe damage. The couple is currently staying with family on North Sixth Street. As local leaders who run a Puerto Rican cultural preservation nonprofit and organize a local festival, they are used to providing relief to others. Now, the roles are reversed.
“As long as we live, we’re gonna do what we have to do,” Velez said.
Local organizations have quickly stepped in to assist the displaced families. The Champion Center on West Linden Street is actively serving meals and providing a safe space for neighbors to rest, while the United Way is managing a community relief effort.
The United Way is asking for donations of clothes, toiletries, cash, and gift cards for grocery stores and restaurants to help bridge the gap for these families until they can find permanent housing.
“We just had a partner call in and say, ‘We’re going to send the $5,000.’ We’ve had another partner call in and say we’re going to send in this amount,” said Marci Lesko, CEO of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. “We’ll see. But it goes somewhere between $5,000 and $40,000. It all depends on what the community actually gives.”
Those interested in donating can find more information on the United Way’s website.
On Friday afternoon, Lehigh County officials announced that two juveniles were taken into custody and charged in connection to the fire.
They both are in juvenile detention currently and the charges include counts of Arson, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Conspiracy and Causing a Catastrophe.
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DA: Two juveniles in custody, charged for massive 6-alarm factory fire in Allentown
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.