Jilly’s Bar & Grill, a popular Pikesville restaurant and bar, was struck by a devastating fire during the early morning hours of Oct. 28, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. While there are no known fatalities or injuries, the location was reported to have collapsed at approximately 4:35 a.m.
Firefighters from Pikesville Fire Station’s Engine 2 received the alarm at 3:55 a.m. and were the first on the scene, quickly calling for support to battle what became a three-alarm fire. According to the fire department, the fire was spreading to adjacent buildings.
Firefighters were still on the scene as of noon, to complete overhaul and extinguish hot spots. Baltimore County Police fire investigators were also reported on the scene. At present, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
In a Facebook posting, Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka stated how he “was saddened to wake up to the news this morning of a fire that broke out at Jilly’s Bar & Grill. Located in the heart of Pikesville, Jilly’s has served as an anchor of the Reisterstown Road commercial corridor for years.”
Calling the incident devastating, Patoka said that his “heart goes out to owners Scott and Kathie Reich. They represent the very best of Pikesville and the hospitality industry.”
Other community members who expressed their sympathies to the Reich family over Facebook included Roger Shapiro, owner and operator at Mike & Roger’s Auto Center, who wrote, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you Scott and the entire Jilly’s family.”
Jesse Tanenblatt, also posting on Jilly’s Facebook page, noted that she had been a customer of Jilly’s for the past 33 years, and expressed how “Jilly’s, for now 4 generations of my family, has been a rock in our lives.”
“I still remember when I would be just barely old enough to climb the stairs myself to the upstairs where my parents and grandparents like to sit,” Tanenblatt wrote, calling the restaurant and bar a place “we truly cherish, and share multiple lifetimes of memories with.”
