Nourish restaurant has closed due to a fire at its new Italian Market location

For the second time in less than two years, and in two locations, the vegan restaurant Nourish has been closed by fire.

The Philadelphia Fire Department was called about 3 a.m. Sunday to Nourish, at 943 S. Ninth St. in the Italian Market, where a fire had started in the basement, a department spokesperson said. The fire, which temporarily displaced two families from apartments above Nourish, was extinguished in 30 minutes. No injuries were reported, the spokesperson said.

The storefront’s distinctive glass windows were smashed during the firefighting, said building owner Gene LeFevre, who said electrical wires in the basement were damaged.

The Fire Marshal’s Office said the cause was under investigation.

Restaurateur Sarah Scandone had moved Nourish to Ninth Street in October 2020, about a month after her previous location at Seventh and South Streets was destroyed by a fire that started in the kitchen.

The Fire Marshal’s Office said that blaze — only eight months after its opening — was caused by spontaneous combustion of oily rags.

Scandone said she was unsure of the business’ future. “I don’t even know if I’ll be able to reopen here because the smoke damage is so bad,” she said. Her concern was her customers — “people eat here every single day” — and her 15 workers, whom she said she was “trying to provide gainful employment.”

Relocation might be possible, but she acknowledged that after two fires in 20 months, getting insurance for a new restaurant could be “difficult. After the first one, it was hard to find an insurance company.”

“I’m just trying to figure out what to do at this point,” she said.