UPDATED: Man Dies After Fire At Roadhouse Inn

UPDATED: 7:52 p.m., Tuesday:

A man died following a Tuesday afternoon fire at the Roadhouse Inn.

Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito confirmed the 30-year-old man died due to injuries from the blaze that ripped through the inn that sits at the busy intersection of New Falls and Newportville roads in Bristol Township.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of 7:30 p.m., but it appeared to have started in a second-floor living room, Dippolito said.

An additional person was taken to the hospital after suffering smoke inhalation, Dippolito said.

Firefighters from around the Bensalem and Levittown areas were called to the Roadhouse Inn for a reported building blaze around 3:20 p.m. Bystanders reported flames coming from the building that has stood at the corner for more than a century.

Owner Stewart Katuran told LevittownNow.com he was upset to learn about the fire and had heard rumors of the death. At the time he spoke to a reporter, the man’s death had not yet been officially confirmed.

“There’s a lot of good people there,” he said of his customers.

Katuran explained that the second floor of the building has 12 rooms that are up for rent. The people who typically rent those rooms often need a boost that he is willing to offer.

A family member of the man who passed away, who LevittownNow.com is not yet identifying until all family members are notified, said the 30-year-old man recently moved into one of the rented rooms above the bar.

“The American Red Cross has trained responders on the scene of this fire in Bucks County, providing assistance to at least 12 people who lived in the units above, with things like temporary lodging,” the agency said. They later added their volunteers were assisting nine people.

The owner of the establishment said the building has fire alarms, a central fire system, and fire extinguishers throughout.

Customer Mike Rees was just arriving at the Roadhouse Inn when the fire alarms began going off. He said staff and customers cleared the building and firefighters began their efforts to knock down flames.

As the afternoon turned to evening, additional fire equipment arrived on the scene.

Firefighters toiled on the roof to vent the structure and spray down hotspots. Four ladder trucks were used to work on the roof.

Damage throughout the old building that was fully renovated between 2001 and 2003 was expected to be heavy, Katuran said.

“I put my heart and soul into that building,” he said.

The property, according to Katuran, had a 24-room stagecoach stop turned rooming house until it was destroyed by a fire in 1996. A Philadelphia Inquirer clipping from 1996 said the fire at the then Bridge Point Inn left two residents with injuries. It was reported to be caused by the wiring on a toaster oven on the first floor.

Tuesday’s fire and road closures at the scene caused traffic to stack up on area roadways throughout Lower Bucks County. Main Street in Hulmeville Borough, New Falls Road into Levittown, and Bensalem Boulevard were packed with cars trying to maneuver around the road closures.

Firefighters and investigators, including a police detective, remained at the scene late into Tuesday evening.