FORT SMITH, Ark. — Crews responded to a fire at Bricktown Brewery in downtown Fort Smith around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, according to Fort Smith Fire Chief Boyd Waters.
"They came in and they put the fire out," Waters said. "They couldn't find anything else, so they left the scene probably about 6:15 [a.m.] and then we got a call right around seven o'clock that it was back on fire again."
Although Waters said it is very rare, crews returned to the scene to put out another fire at the old downtown building. Waters explained that these older buildings tend to mask what's really going on.
"These old buildings, they have a lot of ... voids, so we don't know if maybe it was missed there or what. It's just hard to tell because these buildings, they're 100 years old, and they've been remodeled and redone, and sometimes it's just hard to find where the fire may have went."
No injuries have been reported at this time, and the cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Waters said they believe the first fire started in the kitchen.
So far, Waters said the roof and the second floor were the main parts of the building that had been damaged. The bottom of the building only sustained water damage.
Rick Griffin, the manager of Griffin Properties, said the company has owned the building at 318 Garrison Avenue for more than 35 years.
"It was in pretty bad disrepair when we bought it and we did a full renovation of the building," Griffin said.
Although it has gone through renovations, the building is a historic gem of Fort Smith.
"It's historically significant to the area. I think it's the prettiest building downtown, and we're most sad to see it burn," Griffin said.
After Wednesday's fire, the future of the building is still unknown.
"I was on site just a little bit ago talking to the fire chief, and they've got a structural engineer there, and we have to find out if they're going to condemn it or if some of it can be salvaged," Griffin said. "Today, we don't know because we don't know what we have, but we know that Bricktown Brewery is good for downtown, and the buildings good for downtown, and so we'd like to put it back if we can."
While engineers are still working to ensure everything is structurally sound, Garrison Avenue and 4th Street will be closed.
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