Just before 7 p.m. Valentine’s Day, a family lost their home and the community lost a historical landmark.

The former Rockdale Hotel at 1806 Rockdale Road, North Whitehall Township, caught fire very quickly and the entire structure along with years of history and memorabilia inside was consumed by flames.

The home built in 1885 originally opened as a hotel and became a frequent stop and rest area for coal miners transporting products on the railroad along the Lehigh River.

When the coal mines were no longer in service, the hotel became a residence.

Owners John and Dorothy Horwith carefully restored the property with many of its historic features remaining.

Their son, James, was at an appointment when the fire began and returned to find the home he grew up in engulfed in flames.

On the morning following the blaze, he emerged from a travel trailer on the property where he and his family had spent the previous night with their animals.

The family’s Great Dane, Pandora, wandered aimlessly around the property.

“He’s looking for his favorite toy which was probably destroyed in the house,” James Horwith said, grateful he almost always takes Pandora with him in the car. He might not have made it out.

“Everything I owned was in there - everything from my childhood. It’s all gone now. I’m just glad everyone is OK.”

Several other pets, including another dog and a few cats, were rescued by John Horwith when the fire ignited.

Some cats, however, were unaccounted for and the family hoped they were hiding outside in the woods.

On the morning after the fire, James Horwith pointed out the words “Hotel Rockdale” still faintly visible on the wood on the only wall that remained standing - a poignant reminder of the structure’s past and the hard work that went into its restoration.

He also spoke of all the antiques he collected over the years, along with century-old artifacts - the old hotel parlor with original bar, cash register and furniture.

“Those are all things you can never get back,” James Horwith said.

“I’d love to show you pictures of the inside, but, well, they were all in there.”

Laurys Station Second Assistant Fire Chief Matt Desch gave a status update the day after the fire.

“We were called back this morning,” Desch said. “Last night, there was a fully-involved fire. We put some foam on it last night to try to smother it.

“Typically when we have fully-involved fires in large structures, you can’t always get to the bottom and sometimes it rekindles.

“So that is why we are here today. We are going to try to break it apart as best we can and saturate it to make sure all the embers are out.

“Last night we had trouble just getting water.

“The unique area of the structure, as well as, the weather made it difficult.”

The structure sets back several hundred feet on a dirt road, he explained.

Desch said firefighters needed to set up a system of hoses and tankers lined up along the road to get water flowing to the building.

On Tuesday evening, after the first call went out at 6:50 p.m., approximately 70 firefighters, including Laurys Station, Neffs, Schnecksville, Tri-Clover, Greenawalds and Whitehall responded to the scene, Laurys Station Fire Chief Robin Hood emailed The Press.

NOVA and Macungie ambulance corps also answered the fire call.

“The fire was fully involved by the time the first units got there,” Hood said.

According to information provided by firefighter and freelance photographer Dennis Wetherhold Jr., Lehigh County 9-1-1 Center reported a call came from a female resident reporting a house on fire.

The 9-1-1 Center also reported numerous calls from Route 145 were reporting flames showing.

“A second alarm was struck bringing in additional fire companies from surrounding areas,” Wetherhold emailed The Press.

“Neffs Fire Chief Jim Steward arrived on scene and reported the old Rockdale Hotel well involved in fire.

“The chief advised the 9-1-1 Center one person was still inside the residence and a male was removed from the house by firefighters with no serious injuries.

“Due to a lack of hydrants in the area, tankers had to be called to bring in water to the fire. In all tankers responded from Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties to assist with the fire.”

The fire was under control at 9:30 p.m., according to Hood.

According to Hood, the location where the fire started is unknown at this time and is under investigation by the State Police Fire Marshal.

There were no reported injuries to the home’s occupants or firefighters.

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Editor’s note: Dennis Wetherhold assisted with this story.