A historic building went up in flames overnight in Templeton, Massachusetts, with video showing flames shooting from the rooftop of the structure that has been the home to a pub since the 1960s.
According to Templeton Fire Chief David Dickie, the Otter River Pub and Red Onion Pool Hall is now being considered a total loss, with windows left blown out and the roof apparently gone in the wake of the fire.
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The fire was initially contained to the back of the building but quickly spread to the front, according to Chief Dickie. When he arrived, the smoke and flames were pouring out of the front windows of the building. People were reportedly inside the pub when the fire first broke out.
“All the sudden the smoke got worse and then within 15 minutes, it was just in flames, and flames were shooting about 50 feet,” said Sally Erickson, who lives across the street and is friends with the owner.
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Dickie said it’s possible the balloon construction of the building helped spread the flames. Luckily, officials said that all patrons got out and no firefighters were injured.
But a piece of history was lost on Templeton's Main Street. To make matters worse, a renovation was recently done.
“It was awful, it started just at the beginning of the roof and then the next thing you knew it was like black smoke and that’s when I knew something was not going to be good,” said Anita Walley, one of several neighbors who had to evacuate their homes during the fire.
The building dates back to 1880, and according to the pub’s page it was “intended to be a general store, and meeting place for many on the road by horse or train (and) It has been many businesses since then post office, library, furniture store, likely more, then a bar since the 60’s.”
“The building is a historic building in the town of Templeton, it has been a bar for many, many years here in town, it’s been here for over 100 years," Chief Dickie said.
People have been stopping by all day, reminiscing about old times at the pub, and commiserating over how great this revamped pub would have been.
“It’s devastating, like I was saying, this was a local institution, everybody came to the Onion, everyone," the former owner’s brother James Buzzell said.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.
