‘Landmark’ Levittown Lanes bowling alley destroyed in early morning fire

Allen Episcopo worked behind the bar at Levittown Lanes in 1962. He bought the classic bowling alley about 20 years later, keeping it open for decades as a staple for leagues, birthday parties and first dates in Lower Bucks County.

In the short time it took him to get to his New Falls Road bowling alley Wednesday morning, a part of the roof had already collapsed and his business, which held so many memories for so many Levittowners, was gone.

A three-alarm fire destroyed Levittown Lanes in Falls as the blaze quickly consumed the building early Wednesday morning.

Episcopo, of Middletown, was awoken a call from his son around 5:30 a.m. He said he thought it was just a minor fire, nothing that would be much of a problem.

Allen Episcopo, owner of Levittown Lanes, speaks with Falls Township Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito, as crews work on the scene of a three-alarm fire that destroyed his Falls bowling alley in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

But when he got the scene shortly after, the seriousness of the blaze hit him as he couldn’t get to the bowling alley as the road was blocked and dozens of fire crews were working to knock down the fire.

By the time he made it to the building some of the roof had already collapsed.

While there were no injuries in what Falls Deputy Fire Chief Drew Zeek said was one of the biggest fires since the Amato’s Pizza blaze destroyed a shopping center on nearby Trenton Road several years ago, Levittown Lanes was a complete loss.

“The problem with a fire this big is determining how it started,” Zeek said, standing across the street from the smoldering building that dated to Levittown’s construction in the 1950s and is noted as the first bowling alley in Levittown, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, in archived news stories of the Courier Times.

Crews work on the scene of a three-alarm fire at Levittown Lanes in Falls Township, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

“This is definitely a landmark,” Zeek said. “If you live in Levittown, there’s a good chance you bowled here, or had a kid’s birthday party here.”

Zeek said the the first call for the fire came at 5:09 a.m. Shortly after, it went to three alarms. He estimated between 150 and 200 firefighters were involved dousing the massive blaze. Firefighters from between 12 and 15 fire companies came to assist.

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“It appears the fire broke out in the rear of the building and extended through,” Zeek said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and it could take until Thursday before a determination is made.

Township Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito said buildings nearby sustained heat damage. No one was in the bowling alley at the time of the fire. He said fire crews had the blaze under control by about 9:30 a.m.

Early in the morning, dark smoke could be seen billowing over parts of Levittown as sirens from fire engines roared down New Falls Road, which was closed to traffic in the area of the fire.

Smoke billows from what’s left of Levittown Lanes bowling alley Wednesday morning as a three-alarm fire destroyed the old building in Falls.

Over 100 firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire at Levittown Lanes in Falls on Wednesday morning.

The roof collapsed as fire overtook the building, which included the bowling lanes and a bar. A photo from Nottingham Fire Department from Bensalem, which was called with many other departments to assist, showed heavy flames throughout the building before sunrise.

The bowling center housed 18 lanes, a bar and pizza shop, and was long home to a variety of leagues and high school sports teams, and a popular spot for birthday parties and more.

The building also was home base for Band Box Pizza N Pub and the Levittown Lanes Bowling League. A E Lanes employed 15 people, according to Dunn & Bradstreet, which provides commercial data, analytics, and insights for businesses.

Episcopo said he worked behind the bar at the alley in 1962. He purchased the alley from the former owners in 1981. On late Wednesday morning, firefighters were removing Flyers memorabilia that had once hanged on the wall there. Episcopo said the alley had been in the area for a long time, and he knew many people in the area.

“I watched a lot of people grow up here,” he said.

Episcopo said the building had been around since 1953. He said Wednesday morning that it was too early to determine the future of his beloved bowling alley, and whether he would rebuild.

Fire crews work to put out a blaze at Levittown Lanes in Falls on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Allen Episcopo, owner of Levittown Lanes, center right, stands by, as crews work on the scene of a three-alarm fire that destroyed his Falls bowling alley in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Crews work on the scene of a three-alarm fire at Levittown Lanes in Falls Township, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Several of the bowling alley’s employees stood in a nearby auto repair shop parking lot, looking in disbelief and sadness as water cannons shot water on the smoldering building.

“This is a great place to come, it’s very family friendly. I just can’t believe it’s happened like this,” said Jen, an employee who decline to give her last name.

Scott and Krystel Adams watch firefighters douse the last of the massive 3-alarm blaze that destroyed Levittown Lanes early Wednesday.

Krystel Adams, whose mother manages the bowling alley (but was too upset to discuss the fire) said she practically grew up in the place.

“I was here last night,” she said, as tears came. “My 9-year-old (son) is a phenomenal bowler. He is not going to take this well. He’s going to be devastated.”

Crews work on the scene of a three-alarm fire at Levittown Lanes in Falls Township, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Krystel stood next to her husband, Scott, watching firefighters douse and drown the building.

“We had our first kiss right over there in that parking lot,” he told his wife.

“Yeah,” she said, looking at the smoldering building. “This is a tough one,” she said. “Really tough.”

On Wednesday afternoon, there was still no update on what caused the blaze. The fire marshal and a few fire apparatus remained at the scene just before 1 p.m.

Other agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, were there assisting at the scene. Dippolito said the ATF were called to assist because of the size of the building and fire.

Staff writer Jo Ciavaglia contributed to this report .

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Levittown Lanes fire: Blaze destroys bowling alley in Bucks County