BOULDER CREEK >> Boulder Creek Brewery and Café was destroyed by a two-alarm fire early Sunday morning. The 26-year-old business, located on the 13000 block of State Route 9, caught on fire just after 1:45 a.m.

The fire’s ignition is presumed to be have been electrical in nature, according to co-owner Nancy Long. Further investigation is pending.

“It started upstairs in the attic,” Long says as she surveyed the damage Sunday morning. “The dishwashing staff was finishing up at the time and they called it in.”

According to Boulder Creek Fire Chief Kevin McClish, crews were dispatched at 1:45 a.m. and arrived on scene five minutes later.

“When we first got there we were in offensive mode, which means we sent two engine crews into the structure,” McClish says. “Unfortunately it had too much of a head start on us and at 2:11 we had to pull everyone out. Flames were venting through the roof and we were concerned about a collapse.”

By the time the fire was fully contained at 4:32 a.m., the roof of the structure had collapsed into the building, filling the iconic Santa Cruz Mountain establishment with charred timber.

“It’s a total loss,” Long says. “You can see the sky through the roof.”

Despite the devastation, Long expressed hope that the brewery, which she opened in 1989 with partner Stephen Wyman, would not be closed permanently.

“We already have a claim into our insurance company and we’ll rebuild—that’s the plan for the moment,” she says. “People have just been amazing. There’s a huge outpouring of support from the community.”

As workers boarded up the brewery’s front windows Sunday morning, members of the Boulder Creek community gathered outside the establishment and expressed shock and sympathy for the loss of the well-known restaurant.

“Nancy and Steve have been workhorses for the community. They have supported everyone from high schools to churches for years,” says Carol Dirck of Felton. “I have no doubt in my mind that the community will step up to support them now.”

“It’s a big, big loss,” says McClish. “Not only was the brewery a major attraction in town but (Wyman and Long) employed 45 to 50 people in town. That’s going to have a huge impact.”

Wyman is already looking for ways to support his employees. On the Boulder Creek Brewery Facebook page, he posted an open letter announcing that Surfrider Café in Santa Cruz, which Wyman and Long also own, will be holding training sessions for brewery employees so they can pick up shifts.

According to the letter, several Surfrider Café servers and staff have also volunteered to cut their own shifts down to accommodate the brewery employees.

“Nancy and I can’t express enough how sorry we are if any employee is left in a tough spot by this,” Wyman wrote on the Facebook page. “We’re doing everything we can.”

In addition, Joe’s Bar in Boulder Creek will host a fundraiser on Sunday evening for Boulder Creek Brewery employees affected by the fire.

Boulder Creek Brewery was only the 13th microbrewery in California when it was founded. Its handcrafted beers have won numerous awards including a gold medal in the World Beer Cup.

In addition to the Boulder Creek Fire Department, responding emergency personnel included Ben Lomond Fire Department, Felton Fire Protection District, Santa Cruz Fire Department, and two units from Cal Fire.

There were no injuries.