Chimney fire shuts down New Kensington coffee shop

No serious damage was caused by a chimney fire Tuesday at a coffee shop in downtown New Kensington.

Firefighters responded to the call at Steel Cup Coffee Roasters on 10th Street about 11 a.m., fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said.

Business owner Doug Pinto said he was roasting coffee when he noticed what he said smelled like a camp fire and saw smoke coming out of a chaff collector.

Coffee chaff is the skin on a coffee bean that comes off during roasting. Pinto said there was a build up of chaff in the chimney that caught fire.

Saliba said the fire was contained to the pipe but got hot enough that parts of it melted.

There was smoke throughout the shop as well as some in Trovo, a home decor shop, and attorney Tony Vigilante’s office, which are in the same building at the corner of 10th Street and Fifth Avenue.

No injuries were reported. Fans were used to clear the smoke from the spaces.

Saliba said the fire could have been a lot worse and spread to the roof had it been unattended.

Pinto, who opened Steel Cup in New Kensington in 2021, said he wasn’t sure if he’ll be open Wednesday. He said he might not be able to roast coffee for a week or two until repairs are made.

“Sadly, roasting fires happen,” he said. “I didn’t think it could happen to me.”