A century-old amphitheater in Norristown went up in flames. The beloved spot known for concerts also served as a fire chief’s memorial, and now officials are investigating it as arson. NBC10’s Deanna Durante has the details.
An investigation is underway after an overnight fire damaged a bandshell that has honored firefighters and hosted events in Norristown, Pennsylvania, for more than a century.
The two-alarm fire occurred Wednesday around 2 a.m. at the Fire Chief’s Memorial Bandshell at Elmwood Park on 1325 Harding Boulevard. Sources told NBC10 nearby porta-potties caught fire and the flames spread to the top of the bandshell and burned the inside of the structure.
Responding firefighters were able to put out the flames. No injuries were reported and officials are investigating the cause. Sources also said a trashcan near the bandshell caught fire a few hours earlier around 11 p.m. Tuesday.
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Footage from SkyForce10 showed significant damage to the bandshell’s roof Wednesday morning. The bandshell has been fenced off and is currently a restricted area. The rest of the park remains open, however.
The bandshell had been in place at Elmwood Park for more than a century and hosted several community events, including Norristown’s summer concert series and Fourth of July celebration. The structure was built to honor firefighters who have served Norristown’s community.
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“For over 100 years this structure stood to remember the hundreds of firefighters that have served our community," a spokesperson for the Norristown Fire Department wrote. "The building may be gone, but we will never forget!”
Firefighters removed the plaques on the bandshell that honors those who served in the fire department. It's unknown at this time if the rest of the structure can be saved.
"Devastating. Everybody's asking what was the cause," Joe Staiber, who organizes the summer concert series along with his son, told NBC10. “Everyone in this community has really come together in the last six hours to say, ‘How do we figure this out?’”
Staiber said Sunday's show will go on.
“We’re going to build a new stage right on that baseball field and we’re going to have the best concert this town has ever seen,” he said.
Both Pennsylvania State Police and Norristown Police are investigating the cause of the fire and searching for any possible suspects.
