Fire levels former Millville bar, apartment

MILLVILLE -  A three-alarm fire ripped through a three-story building in the 500 block of South 2nd Street Saturday evening.

Firefighters were dispatched to the shuttered Gil-Bear Tavern, on the corner of Kates Boulevard, just after 6 p.m. and arrived on the scene to find the first floor engulfed in flames.

Crews from area fire departments launched a ground and aerial attack on the building, which included an apartment on the second and third floors.

The building collapsed on itself, rupturing a natural gas line and sending a whoosh of white-hot flames into the night sky. Spectators ran from the scene and firefighters on the ladder truck were ordered to the ground.

Firefighters set up a perimeter and alerted South Jersey Gas to the scene.

By 8:30 p.m., the fire was still not under control, fire officials told The Daily Journal at the scene. The fire was reportedly under control at 9:45 p.m.

The occupant of the apartment was out of state when the fire broke out, according to family members at the scene.

"Everyone is safe," said a fire official at the scene. Fire offiicials pushed a pickup truck parked in the driveway next to the building into a lot across the street for safety reasons.

Marion Bennett, related to the Farrell family who owned the Gil-Bear Tavern, learned of the fire through social media at her Laurel Lake home.

"I saw it on Facebook," she said, noting the alert was forwarded to her from an acquaintance in Wisconsin.

The Gil-Bear Tavern was part of her family's history, she said, crying over the loss of family mementos and photographs.

On holidays, Bennett said, the tavern would close and the extended family would gather for meals.

"They had great Halloween parties," Bennett said. 'It was the place where we had our first drink."

Several years ago, the Farrell's added a staircase to the upstairs. The staircase, handcrafted by a local carpenter, had extra-wide steps for older people, Bennett said, noting it was somewhat notorious because it was awkward to climb.

When Bennett arrived on the scene, the bar was gone.

The apartment was gone as well.

"The stairs...," she said, unable to fathom how they were still standing.

Firefighters from Vineland, Laurel Lake, Gouldtown, Fairfield Township and Rosenhayn were among those who responded to the scene.

Deborah M. Marko; (856) 563-5256; dmarko@gannettnj.com