All Fired Up burns down
Updated with new video
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Firefighters battle the blaze on the east side of the building as flames leap from the roof of the kitchen area. Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/Times Argus |
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By David Delcore Times Argus Staff - Published: October 16, 2008
BARRE – All Fired Up went up in smoke on Wednesday, leaving Barre with one less eatery while gutting one of the city's most historic structures.
By today the building that had stood on Depot Square since the late-1800s could itself be history as firefighters were expected to work into the night demolishing the popular restaurant and tavern that they'd worked throughout the day trying to save.
"It's coming down piece by piece," Fire Chief Peter John declared Wednesday afternoon, even as state fire investigators were getting their first peek inside the still-smoldering shell of All Fired Up Tavern.
"It could be gone by morning," he said.
For all practical purposes the building was "gone" long before a backhoe started gearing up to rip down walls in sections of the building that investigators had already cleared late Wednesday afternoon. Thanks to a stubborn smoky blaze that is believed to have started in the restaurant's kitchen area early Wednesday morning it soon became evident that salvaging the structure was unlikely.
Firefighter David Gladding said he had that sinking feeling as soon as he saw dark smoke billowing from under the eaves of the building shortly after 7:30 a.m. "It didn't look good," said Gladding, who was taking his son to school and first spotted the smoke several blocks away.
"You couldn't even see this end of town, it was all hazy with smoke," he said.
Gladding pulled up to the restaurant moments after one of two employees who were reportedly there at the time called for help.
John said Barre firefighters responded immediately to the scene and were soon joined by a mix of professional and volunteer firefighters from Barre Town, Montpelier, East Montpelier, Berlin and Plainfield. Volunteers from Northfield and Waterbury arrived a short time later, he said.
At its height some 60 firefighters from eight area departments were on hand attempting to put out the fire while dozens of bystanders – many armed with cameras – watched and investigators waited.
John said firefighters confronted thick black smoke and some flames, but were thwarted in their efforts to quickly douse the blaze by the fact that it had spread beyond the kitchen area before their arrival.
Compounding the problem, according to John, was the fact that the building, which served as home to the Barre Branch Railroad Station from 1889 until the early 1920s, has undergone a series of renovations over the last several decades. The process of transforming the train station to a long-time dry cleaning operation and more recently a bakery, a pool hall, a pizzeria and a tavern created "nooks and crannies" where the fire could easily spread, according John. That, he said, forced firefighters to peel off layers of sheetrock to get at smoldering insulation trapped between the building's walls.
"It's bad," he said at one point. "It (the fire) got into the roof and went this way and the other way … and we're having a hard time putting it out."
It wasn't until shortly before 3 p.m. – more than seven hours after the original call – that firefighters' focus turned to demolition, Depot Square was reopened to through-traffic, and investigators were able to safely enter what little was left of the building.
Det. Sgt. Fred Cornell declined to predict when he would be able to announce the cause of the fire that early reports suggest may have started in the vicinity of one of the restaurant's signature wood-fired brick ovens.
"I think we'll have a real good idea tonight," he said Wednesday. "As far as a definitive answer? That might take longer."
The building, which is owned by Massachusetts resident John Fiore, was all-but destroyed in the fire, according to John who said structural concerns prompted the decision to "topple it."
The roof on the rear portion of the restaurant had collapsed by mid-morning and firefighters were forced to use a chain saw and axes to vent the roof on the historic two-story section of the building. Hours after the initial response, black smoke was still pouring out of the windows of the building's hexagonal tower and firefighters opted to let the fire consume much of the nearby roof area.
John said no one was injured in the fire, which was quickly contained on site and did not spread to Aubuchon Hardware – a store located on the other side of a narrow street known locally as Enterprise Alley.
Mayor Thomas Lauzon welcomed that news.
"You can replace buildings. Buildings can be rebuilt," he said. "I'm just thankful nobody got hurt."
Lauzon was joined on the scene by City Manager John Craig.
Although the building is owned by Fiore, the business is a joint venture involving his wife, Ann, Scott Wolfe and Zachary Lord.
Lord watched in dismay today as firefighters battled the persistent fire.
"Yesterday (Tuesday) was our one-year anniversary," said Lord, who spent part of the morning on his cell phone conferring with his insurance company and met with investigators in the afternoon.
Lord said he knew little about the actual fire, but did confirm at least two of his employees were in the restaurant at the time. He said he was told the fire started in the kitchen area, and attempts by employees to put it out with fire extinguishers proved futile and firefighters were summoned to the scene.
Smoke from the fire was visible for miles throughout the morning and into the early afternoon.
Bob Sager, owner of Bob's Camera, said he spotted the smoke on his way to work while driving along Route 14 not far from Hope Cemetery.
"It looked like it was coming from downtown," said Sager, whose camera shop is located not far from All Fired Up Tavern. "It's too bad."
That was the general sentiment of dozens of residents, who crowded around the Depot Square area to watch the building burn.
"It's a shame," said Pete Fournier. "It was a beautiful building and it's been here forever."