South Street pizzeria burns, firefighter injured

Firefighters responded to a fire at Lorenzo & Son Pizza, a longtime pizza place at 3rd and South Streets. Owner Giuseppe Pulizzi said he wasn't in the pizza restaurant when the fire started. He was at the bank making a deposit. When he heard about it, he ran into his restaurant and rescued his dog Max on the second floor. Then he said he worried about the pizza parlor. A customer took Max home to take care of him. ( SHARON GEKOSKI-KIMMEL / Staff Photographer )

By Sam Wood, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: June 28, 2012

A firefighter was injured Wednesday morning as he battled a blaze at a landmark South Street pizzeria.

The fire at Lorenzo and Son's Pizza, at 3rd and South Street, was first reported at 10:26 a.m. Firefighters placed it under control shortly before noon.

The three-story building at 305 South St. houses the pizzeria on the ground floor and several apartments above, said Executive Fire Chief Richard Davison.

A hole in the wall that does brisk business after last call, Lorenzo's is known for brusque counter workers and New York-style pizza slices the size of your head. It was founded in 1988.

The injured firefighter was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition, Davison said. The extent of his injuries were not immediately known. No other injuries were reported.

A cause had not been determined and the extent of the damage to the building was not clear.

Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2796 or samwood@phillynews.com.

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Philly.com's Michael Klein contributed to this story.