The fire that destroyed the Levittown Lanes bowling alley in Falls Township remains under investigation as of Friday.
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Falls Township Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito was back out at the scene working to determine the cause of the three-alarm blaze that occurred early Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, heavy equipment was used to lift parts of the collapsed roof off the remains of the building along New Falls Road.
Additionally, a large pump was in use to remove water that was filling the building’s basement.
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After firefighters spent all day Wednesday dumping water on the building, a small fire rekindled Wednesday night into Thursday morning, but it was quickly put down.
Dippolito was joined at the scene Thursday by the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
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Due to the size of the fire and financial loss, the township fire marshal’s office called in outside agencies with greater resources to assist, Dippolito explained.
As part of the investigation, authorities were seen speaking with neighboring business owners, the family that owns Levittown Lanes, and collecting video from surrounding businesses.
Dippolito said it was too early to speculate on a cause.
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The fire was reported at 5:09 a.m. Wednesday when the building was empty.
The fire appeared to have started in the rear of the circa-1950s structure and quickly spread, aided by the arched bowstring truss roof style.
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Crews poured water on the side of neighboring apartments to stop the fire from extending.
While those apartments suffered melted siding due to the heat from the fire, the structure was otherwise spared from the flames, Dippolito said.
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No injuries were reported in the fire.
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