Apr 11, 2016 2 min read

MONESSEN – Faulty wiring appears to have caused a fire Sunday night that damaged the Italian Club in Monessen.

A state police fire marshal issued the ruling Monday after investigating the blaze at 112 Seventh St., saying the fire did not appear to be suspicious in origin.

Bill Brown, a club trustee, said the members were lucky because the fire broke out about 7:30 p.m., not long after they left a meeting in the building.

“The kitchen was engulfed,” Brown said. “They caught it in time.” No injuries were reported.

He said the club dates to 1903 and is probably the oldest social club in Monessen.

Brown said the building would likely have been destroyed had the fire happened later in the evening. Someone noticed the smoke and quickly called for the fire department, whose members brought the fire under control, Brown said.

He said the club has insurance and it plans to repair the damage following the direction of the insurance company.

“It’s actually guesswork right now,” Brown said. “It’s always been a good club.”

City fire Chief Chris Rhome said the fire in the brick building was contained to the kitchen. The rest of the building sustained smoke and water damage, he said.