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Fire erupts at Wasatch Brew Pub

Section of deck collapses as flames rise from scene Jay Hamburger, The Park Record
Firefighters battle the blaze at the Wasatch Brew Pub on Friday morning. Courtsey Michael Kaplan
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A fire erupted at the Wasatch Brew Pub Friday morning, causing a section of a deck to collapse before firefighters could extinguish the blaze.

Emergency responders received a 911 call at 6:12 a.m. from someone who lives nearby reporting fire and smoke in the area of the south deck of the Brew Pub, 250 Main St. Phil Kirk, a Park City Police Department captain, said there were "pretty good flames coming up" when the responders arrived.

Bob Zanetti, the assistant chief at the Park City Fire District, said eight-foot flames were visible extending from the south side of the second floor of the building when firefighters arrived. It had spread into the second-floor interior, Zanetti said.

He said the fire on the deck burned through the flooring, collapsing an approximately 225-square-foot section of the deck. It fell into the interior below, he said. There is "significant damage in there," Zanetti said.

Zanetti said it took firefighters approximately 40 minutes to put out the visible flames and then extinguish the rest of the fire. Twenty-four firefighters responded and four engines were sent to the scene.

Nobody was inside when the fire started.

One of the fire engines was parked in the Brew Pub parking lot on the south side of the building. Its ladder had been extended above the back of the building. Another ladder was also propped up nearby on the south side. There were emergency vehicles on the Main Street and Swede Alley sides of the building as well. Furniture could be seen from street level strewn throughout part of the deck.

A small crowd of onlookers stood nearby in a cold rain to watch the firefighters operate. The Police Department closed the upper section of Main Street to traffic. The Park City Building Department, which investigates structure fires, was at the scene. A cause had not been determined by the middle of Friday morning.

Greg Schirf, the owner of the Wasatch Brew Pub, said he arrived at the scene at 6:30 a.m., after the flames had been put down. He said the preliminary investigation points to rags being used by workers resurfacing floors spontaneously combusting in a men’s bathroom. Schirf said crews had been resurfacing floors inside the building. He said he expected "tens of thousands of dollars" in damage from the fire.

"It was not a great moment, but we’ll survive," Schirf said.

He said he hoped to reopen the Wasatch Brew Pub by early next week.

 




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