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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.

The Black Sheep Pub at 17th and Latimer Streets near Rittenhouse Square, which was struck by an overnight fire.
The Black Sheep Pub at 17th and Latimer Streets near Rittenhouse Square, which was struck by an overnight fire. Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

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 was reported at Black Sheep Pub at 17th and Latimer Streets about 8:30 p.m. Monday. Officials said customers were evacuated, and the fire was placed under control about 20 minutes later.

About 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the fire rekindled, forcing firefighters to return.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Owner James Stephens said the blaze started behind the wall in the kitchen, shot up into the third floor, and continued up to the roof.

“It was a no-fault, totally accidental fire,” Stephens said, placing the blame on “heat and old wood.”

Black Sheep, which employs about 24 people, opened in September 2000 after Stephens and former 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.

Stephens, who now owns the pub with Gene LeFevre, plans to reopen as soon as possible, but it is unclear if that will happen ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which begins June 11. Philadelphia hosts its first game, Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador, on June 14.

“I think that might be a little bit premature,” Stephens said. “Maybe we could get two floors open. I’m not sure. It’s not looking great, but we’ll be back bigger and better.”