WEST MELBOURNE — When Debra James drove down West New Haven Avenue to pick up her daughter from the school bus Tuesday, she spotted thick, black smoke billowing from Cold Keg, Brevard County's best-known gay nightclub.

"It looked like it was going through the ducts. Because all the smoke was coming out from all the way around the whole building, up under the soffit," recalled James, a West Melbourne stay-home mom.

"You couldn't see any fire or flame. All you could see was just the smoke. And I mean, it was pouring out of the building," said James, who captured video footage of the blaze before fire engines arrived.

Flames ravaged the club's interior, scorching the dance floor, dressing room, DJ booth, back bar, storage area and ceiling rafters. Now, the broken disco ball lies on the floor amid blackened debris, broken glass and busted lighting fixtures. A wall-mounted television melted.

The ruined nightspot has served as a longtime entertainment destination and gathering place for the Space Coast's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Co-owner Shawn Catalano said the 4,200-square-foot building operated as a barbecue smokehouse during the 1950s. The site was converted to Saturdays, a gay bar, in the late 1960s or early '70s, then became Cold Keg in 1992.

"It's surreal. It's devastating. Just unbelievable," Catalano said, standing inside his charred club and eyeing the wreckage Friday morning.

Firefighters respond to fire at Cold Keg in Melbourne

Catalano plans to rebuild Cold Keg. He will meet with an insurance adjuster Saturday, and a structural engineer must scrutinize the damages before reconstruction can begin. No timeline yet exists, he said.

"Our plan is to move forward as quick as possible. We want to reopen. We're moving as fast as we can," Catalano said.

"It's holiday time. We had Christmas parties booked. The busiest time of the year — New Year's — is coming up. We lost all that. And our employees, Christmastime, losing jobs: That's what really bothers me," he said.

Shawn and his wife, Kim, were the original owners of Off The Traxx. They sold the popular downtown Melbourne bar-restaurant in September 2015, bought Cold Keg in May, and remodeled the club in June, adding new flooring, paint, tables and chairs.

The Cold Keg fire was reported at 2:35 p.m. Tuesday. Brevard County Fire Rescue, Melbourne and Indialantic firefighters responded to the blaze.

"They were met with heavy smoke conditions. They went in and met quite a bit of fire. It did quite a bit of damage on the inside, but they were able to get a pretty good knockdown on it fairly quickly," Brevard County Fire Rescue Chief Mark Schollmeyer said.

Firefighters brought the flames under control in 16 minutes, Schollmeyer said. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire has not been determined. The fire does not appear suspicious in nature, and the State Fire Marshal's Office investigation remains ongoing, he said.

Firefighters respond to fire at Cold Keg in Melbourne

Ian Miller moved to Brevard County from Pennsylvania six years ago, and Cold Keg was the first bar he visited. He now works as Cold Keg's entertainment director.

"Watching the place I love be taken away by flames is destroying me right now," Miller posted on Facebook on Tuesday night. "Thank you everyone for the calls, texts, messages and posts showing support. Our community has proven to be unbreakable."

Miller walked inside Cold Keg and saw the fire damages for the first time Friday morning. He said he was overwhelmed by the scene.

"Devastating. This place was here 40 years for a reason," Miller said.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter

Change of venue

Sunday, Cold Keg was slated to host "A Night of Christmas Magic," a event to benefit Project Suds America. The organization provides homeless veterans with laundry supplies, personal hygiene items, canned food and clothing.

Because of the fire, the fundraiser will move to PC Keats, 829 E. New Haven Ave. in downtown Melbourne. The event starts at 5 p.m. Entertainment includes drag shows, a DJ, drink specials and raffles.