Ember & Ash closed indefinitely after major fire

Ember & Ash restaurant on East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia is closed indefinitely after a late-night fire Wednesday sent flames to the roof through its ventilation system, its owners said.

No injuries were reported. Owner Lulu Calhoun said she, her husband and chef-partner Scott Calhoun, and another chef, John Forkin, were leaving for the evening through the kitchen door about 10:20 p.m. when they heard a loud sound from above.

“We didn’t know what it was,” she said. “We thought maybe like a helicopter or a jet.”

Scott Calhoun looked up to see fire on the roof. He grabbed fire extinguishers and ran upstairs to try to put it out, she said.

The couple called 911, and firefighters arrived almost immediately. Ember & Ash is about two blocks from Ladder 11 and Engine 10 at 12th and Reed Streets, a firehouse that reopened in 2024 after having been shuttered for 15 years. “We’re just so grateful, because it could have been a much, much worse situation,” Lulu Calhoun said.

Thursday morning, the full extent of the destruction was still being assessed, but she said the restaurant was facing professional cleanup for water throughout the building and repairs to the hood and roof. Fire damage was not apparent from the Passyunk Avenue sidewalk. The Philadelphia Fire Department said the fire was under control in about an hour and 20 minutes but had no information on its cause.

The restaurant, home of one of The Inquirer’s favorite burgers, employs about 16 people, Calhoun said, adding that supporting them is now their most urgent concern.

“That’s the part that’s the most heartbreaking,” she said. “It’s not only our livelihoods, but our entire team.”

She said the timeline for repairs was not yet known, adding that the duct work had been professionally cleaned recently as part of maintenance.

The hearth at Ember & Ash, a live-fire restaurant built around a custom wood-burning grill made by Grills by Demant, has been the center of the kitchen since the restaurant’s opening in late 2020.

Fires that travel through ventilation systems can sideline a restaurant for months because damage is not always immediately visible and insurance claims can drag on. Kampar in Bella Vista has been closed since a February 2025 fire and has not announced a reopening date. Black Sheep in Rittenhouse has been closed since a May 18 fire. Tequilas in Center City was shuttered for about two years after a 2023 fire, though owners spent some of that time creating a second restaurant, La Jefa, in its rear dining room.

Calhoun said Ember & Ash was contacting customers with bookings along with parties that had reserved private events in July and August.