Former co-owner of iconic Center City gay bar Woody’s has died in a fire along with his wife

A 74-year-old man who was a former co-owner of the iconic Center City gay bar Woody’s and his 70-year-old wife died in a house fire early Thursday morning in Montgomery County, officials said.

Shortly before 4:15 a.m., a fire was reported on the 900 block of Bellaire Avenue in the Ambler section of Upper Dublin Township, officials said.

Police officers reported heavy fire and found 35-year-old Stephen Wood Jr. outside after having escaped the smoke and flames. He told police there were two other occupants trapped inside.

Firefighters entered the home and found Stephen Wood Sr. on the first floor. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators later found Deborah Wood deceased inside the home.

Wood Jr. was transported to Temple University Hospital with burn and smoke-inhalation injuries.

The cause of the fire was under investigation by the Upper Dublin Township Fire Marshal with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal’s Office.

“He was a great guy,” said Nancy Hall, 68, of Center City, who described Stephen Wood Sr. as a nearly lifelong friend.

“If you lived in Center City in the ‘80s, that was the gay spot to go to,” Hall said about Woody’s.

Hall said Deborah Wood had health issues in recent years and was being cared for by Stephen.

A 2007 Inquirer article reported that Stephen Wood and his brother Bill Wood had recently sold Woody’s and had opened Knock Bar and Restaurant, also in Center City.

Mark Segal, the publisher of Philadelphia Gay News, said Bill was the public face of Woody’s — the bar was named after him — and Stephen helped him. Segal said he believed they were both founders when Woody’s opened around 1980.

Segal said he called Bill Wood earlier Thursday to offer his condolences.

An employee who answered the phone at Knock declined to comment.

Inquirer staff writer Michael Klein contributed to this article.