No one injured in Millvale business basement fire; short-term closure in effect for Sprezzatura Café

No one was injured, but firefighters were checked for potential lithium exposure after fighting a fire in the basement of a Millvale commercial building Monday.

One of the tenants of the building along East Sherman Street is the Sprezzatura Café.

Firefighters were called at about 10 a.m. for a potential electrical fire, said Millvale Volunteer Fire Department Chief Karl Cavanaugh. The cause of the fire hadn’t been verified by early Monday afternoon. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s office is investigating.

Millvale and a cadre of neighboring volunteer fire departments knocked down the blaze before it could damage the exterior of the building. However, the presence of lithium batteries in the basement, possibly part of a solar electrical system, complicated matters.

Every firefighter on scene had to go through a water spray to decontaminate from potential exposure to the lithium batteries. Exposure to lithium can irritate and burn the skin, eyes, nose and throat, said Ron Coleman, operations supervisor of Ross/West View EMS and Rescue.

After the water spray, Ross/West View emergency medical personnel checked more than 20 firefighters for vital signs and conducted other assessments; they detected no problems by late morning, Coleman said.

The nonprofit New Sun Rising owns the building, which has five tenants — two food businesses and three nonprofits, said executive director Scott Wolovich.

“The fire damage put us a couple of steps back,” he said.

However, the Millvale community and its local nonprofits will rally back, Wolovich said.

“It’s disappointing, given all the work that people put into creating a space to help other people get access to fresh and healthy food,” he said.

Although Wolovich hadn’t yet seen the damage inside the building late Monday afternoon, he said the fire started in the basement and reached the first floor, leaving smoke and water damage.

Sprezzatura Café is an authentic Italian and European restaurant and catering service featuring meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients from local growers.

It’s too early to know an exact date when Sprezzatura will reopen, said owner Jen Saffron.

“We appreciate the camaraderie and support of the businesses in our community and plan to reopen shortly,” she said.

Saffron officially opened the Millvale Market on Sunday, attracting more than 200 patrons to the first new fresh food market in the town in more than two decades.

The temporary closure of her café on Monday along with the success of the Millvale Market the previous day left her feeling even more inspired by area residents.

“The spirit of the people of Millvale is incredible,” she said. “This situation is an illustration of the collaborative spirit and community-mindedness of Millvale working together.”

For updates on Sprezzatura and the New Sun Rising building, visit their Facebook and Instagram sites.