ARBOR VITAE – Fire early Monday morning destroyed an Arbor Vitae tavern that was originally built around a rail car.
Arbor Vitae Fire Chief Mike Van Meter said they got the 9-1-1 call at 12:41 a.m. Upon the first unit’s arrival, the back of the Stingrays Bar and Grill was fully engulfed in flames, he said.
Responding mutual aid units came from as far as Eagle River, which sent its ladder truck. More than a dozen fire engines, water tankers and rescue units lined the east side of U.S. Highway 51.
“The unique thing about this building is it was originally built around a rail car,” the fire chief said. Over the years, additional construction took place. “There were multiple layers of roofing,” said Van Meter, making it difficult to reach the fire once it was in the attic. Fire command also had concerns about the integrity of the rail car itself.
Stingrays Bar and Grill was closed at the time of the fire, the fire chief said. It’s located about a block north of the U.S. 51 & State Highway 47 intersection. There were no injuries reported. After a while they were able to keep the southbound lane of traffic open, but as of 6 a.m., the northbound traffic was still being rerouted.
The building is a total loss, according to the fire chief. The state fire marshal will inspect the premises to see if a cause of the fire can be determined.
None of the nearby building were damaged.
