Fire rips through Black Sheep Pub near Rittenhouse Square
Customers were evacuated around 8:30 p.m. while firefighters put out the blaze. Then it rekindled early Tuesday morning.
A stubborn fire ripped through a popular Irish pub near Rittenhouse Square Monday night, and forced firefighters to return overnight when it rekindled.
The fire first broke out at the Black Sheep Pub at 17th and Latimer Streets around 8:30 p.m. Monday. Officials said customers were evacuated, and the fire was placed under control about 20 minutes later.
Around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the fire rekindled, forcing firefighters to return to put out the blaze a second time.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. It’s also unclear how much damage the restaurant suffered, but owner James Stephens told NBC10 he plans to rebuild.
“I talked to the fire marshal. I’ll find out more over the next day or two,” Stephens said. “But we’ve been here 25 years and it’s not gonna put us out of business, that’s for sure.”
Black Sheep opened in September 2000 after Stephens and fellow Belfast-born partner Matt Kennedy spent 11 months transforming a longtime bar space — most recently known as 247, and before that Sinatrarama — into a three-story Irish pub modeled after an 1850s tavern.
The painstaking restoration brought amber sconces, Brazilian black cherry floors, textured wallpaper, stained glass, stenciled beams, exposed brick, dartboards, and a third-floor dining room overlooking 17th Street.
Early on, Black Sheep boasted one of Philadelphia’s larger Irish whiskey selections and an eclectic kitchen serving fish and chips and late-night pub fare. By 2018, Black Sheep also evolved into a hub for Manchester United supporters, drawing devoted early-morning Premier League crowds.
It’s unclear if the pub will be able to reopen ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which begins June 11. Philly’s first game is Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador on June 14.
