Fort Worth’s Cantina Cadillac bar was ravaged and severely damaged by a fire on Saturday, August 5. The fire that set ablaze the historic stockyards building housing the bar was spotted at 8:15 pm on Saturday by Fort Worth firefighters returning from a call. The raging fire was brought under control in around two hours with the help of multiple fire departments.
The historic bar has been owned by Jay Hester for forty years. Despite the extensive damage, Jay is optimistic regarding its grand reopening. According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, the historic building at the corner of West Exchange and Ellis Avenues had its roof collapse and could be compromised. While the bar was open at the time of the fire, the cause of the fire is under investigation.
“I thought, ‘Well, this is the end'”: Jay Hester, owner of Cantina Cadillac Bar talks about the incident
The Beloved Cantina Cadillac Bar is estimated to be over a hundred years old. The Bar is owned by Jay Hester, who has owned the establishment for forty years. According to Star-Telegram, Jay was celebrating a birthday with his family and friends at Riscky’s Barbecue, when he noticed the fire. He told the outlet:
“I thought, ‘Well, this is the end.'”
However, Hester, who witnessed the third floor of his building collapse onto the second floor, added a much more optimistic response after he saw the aftermath.
“But after seeing it, I think we can fix it”
Jay Hester was most concerned about the historic pieces housed in the bar that were now damaged, primarily due to the water used to extinguish the fire, than the fire itself. These included signed memorabilia by Willie Nelson and Todd Murray.
After witnessing the fire, Jay simply went ahead with his day. He had tickets for a Clint Black concert at Billy Bob’s, which he made full use of, and told Star-Telegram:
“What are you gonna do in a situation like this? Sit and watch it burn? No, we went and drank our sorrows away listening to Clint play.”
The 15 people, who were in the Cantina Cadillac bar at the time of the fire, were safely escorted outside. The Cantina Cadillac put out a Facebook post on Monday, August 7, thanking the fire department and their customers and friends. The post also claimed that they were planning on re-opening.
The fire was put out with the assistance of multiple departments
The Fort Worth Fire Department explained the situation in detail in a Facebook post on August 6, which was also made into Twitter threads. The Fire Department said:
“Saturday evening at approximately 8:15 PM, Fort Worth Fire Department Engine 12 was returning from a call and noticed a large volume of fire engulfing the rear of Cantina Cadillac Bar located at Exchange and Ellis.”
The department revealed that a broken gas line had made the fire difficult to contain. The crew had to call for “an alarm assignment” that brought in additional companies onto the scene. The post stated:
“Firefighters then proceeded to fight the fire that went to 3-alarms before it was declared under control after 2 long hours.”
The department also detailed the multiple obstacles they faced to successfully control the fire, including traffic and onlookers. The department revealed that:
“Several obstacles, including a poor water supply, traffic control and crowded parking lots hindering truck placement, all factored into fighting this fire. There were also hundreds of onlookers crowding the streets during a very busy Saturday night in the #stockyards.”
Multiple departments were engaged to combat the Cantina Cadillac bar fire (Image via Twitter/@FortWorthFire)
The incident required the services of five chiefs, seven aerial ladders, and 15 engines. Also involved in the operation were the River Oaks Fire Department, Saginaw, Sansom Park Fire Department, and the City of Lake Worth Fire Department.
Although some damage was caused to the exterior of the bar next door, Thirsty Armadillo, firefighters helped contain the fire to the bar and stopped it from causing severe damage to other historic buildings. The department also revealed that there were no injuries and that the case was under investigation.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn