Old Reading Pike Fire Displaces Several Families
STOWE PA – First responders from several fire departments and companies in western Montgomery and eastern Berks counties arrived Tuesday afternoon (April 12, 2022) in West Pottsgrove Township for emergency dispatchers’ 1:04 p.m. calls on a fire at the former Bramcote Hotel building, 313 Old Reading Pike.
Construction workers at an adjacent property on the building’s west side reportedly were among the first to notify dispatchers of the smoky fire, and attempted to evacuate the structure. There were no reports of injuries. The incident is being investigated by the Pottstown fire marshal’s office; a cause of the fire and the extent of the damage have not yet been announced.
A Pottstown fire truck was among the first to reach the scene. As it pulled up, its crew told dispatchers they saw “heavy smoke” at the building’s second floor.
According to Montgomery County property records, the more than 13,000-square-foot building on 1.6 acres contains up to 35 total living units described as multi-use apartments. Its construction dates back to the 1800s, records show. About 15 people were said to have been displaced by the fire.
In addition to Pottstown, other responders included Upper Pottsgrove, Ringing Hill, Sanatoga, Limerick, North Coventry, Amity, and Monarch, as well as Goodwill Ambulance, the West Pottsgrove Police Department, and several fire police units. Dozens of fire and rescue vehicles crowded Old Reading Pike from its intersection at Grosstown Road east into the fire scene.
Firefighter volunteers, several of whom said they had left their jobs to offer assistance, were seen parking on the road’s grassy south-side shoulder. Once stopped they quickly pulled fire gear from their back seats and car trunks, donned protective clothing and helmets, and hurried toward the site.
A portion of the Schuylkill River Trail that extends west from Pottstown’s Riverfront Park is located near the front of the building. Several walkers and one bicyclist stopped for short periods to watch the firefighters perform their duties, then kept moving along the paved trail.
Responders worked at the building for more than an hour. Old Reading Pike was officially re-opened to public use at 2:48 p.m., dispatchers said.
Photos by The Posts
