Beecher's burns down

Beecher's, the quaint gelato and coffee shop in downtown Zelienople, was a total loss after a massive fire last night. The Post-Gazette has more:

About a dozen fire departments from Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties were called to the scene. But the fire, [Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller] said, quickly spread next door to Beecher's Coffee Shop, a gourmet coffee shop whose owners had recently renovated the building top to bottom and added wireless Internet access for customers.

That building was destroyed, and the fire also caused smoke and water damage to the Hamilton law offices next door. Several firefighters also were trapped briefly when part of a roof collapsed.

The coffee shop, which served gelato and sandwiches and hosted live music, had been restored in the past three years to become "probably the best-looking place around," Chief Miller said.

A state police fire marshal was investigating. No damage estimates were available, but Chief Miller said the AAA building and the coffee shop were probably total losses.