Former furniture factory burns to ground in 6-alarm fire

Former furniture factory burns to ground in 6-alarm fire June 26, 2026 | 1:46 pm CDT

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Woodworking Industry News

Former furniture factory burns to ground in 6-alarm fire

By

Larry Adams

June 26, 2026 | 1:46 pm CDT

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A vacant furniture factory, which dated back to the start of the 20th century, was allegedly set on fire by two juveniles. 

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Two juveniles have been charged with starting a massive fire in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that destroyed a vacant furniture factory and damaged several nearby homes on Wednesday night, June 24, which was extinguished 12 hours later, Thursday morning.

The fire broke out at the former American Atelier furniture factory at 249 N. Front Street and quickly escalated into a six-alarm blaze. An estimated 200 firefighters from multiple fire departments responded and nearby residents were evacuated. Twenty adults and six children were displaced from their homes by the fire.

The two juveniles, who were not identified due to their age, face charges including arson, reckless endangerment, conspiracy, and causing a catastrophe, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca.

One firefighter was injured during the response, and several properties on North Front Street were destroyed in the blaze, according to Holihan.

“The investigation remains ongoing,” a news release from Holihan and Roca stated. “We would also like to recognize the efforts of many agencies that helped with this investigation, including Allentown Fire Department; Allentown Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as community fire departments and other agencies offering assistance to affected residents.”

According to TV station, WFMZ, the factory was the first home of the Gottlieb Buehler Furniture Company back at the start of the 20th century. Furniture maker American Atelier Company set up shop there in the 1920's, and in 2010, the company moved to a 200,000-square-foot former General Mills / Pillsbury plant elsewhere in Allentown where it still operates.

Current owners Urban Residential Properties has plans to turn it into 16-story, 360-unit apartment building with retail and commercial space, the station reported.  

 

 

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About the author

Larry Adams

| Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).

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