Ravaged by fire, The Press Bar in downtown St. Cloud comes tumbling down

ST. CLOUD — Firefighters were on scene for hours Monday battling a blaze at The Press Bar in downtown St. Cloud.

The fire likely started in the basement of The Press Bar and climbed up the walls, Battalion Chief Jerry Raymond said during a noon press conference Monday. “Smoke conditions were so bad ... (firefighters) couldn’t see beyond the reach of their hand.”

What we know now: Fire in St. Cloud's Press Bar downtown

There was no damage to the Red Carpet Nightclub, he said, and crews were working throughout the day to prevent the fire from spreading to Cowboy Jack's bar.

“Every effort right now is focused on saving the building next to it,” Raymond said.

It could take several days for investigators to determine the exact cause of the fire.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will help with the investigation into what caused the fire. The mayor, fire chief and fire marshal will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday at River's Edge Convention Center to discuss the incident.

Kleis said The Press Bar's location is historic for the city. He commended the St. Cloud Fire Department for its "tremendous work" in keeping the fire from spreading to other businesses.

"When buildings are that close in proximity ... you know, these are significant challenges for the fire department and they responded quickly and were able to contain it from spreading to other buildings," Kleis said.

Kleis said assessments will be done on damage to other buildings caused by fire, smoke or water, especially Cowboy Jack's, to assess any structural damage. He also said the city is willing to help as business owners in the area recover as the city continues to emphasize downtown revitalization.

In a Facebook post, The Press Bar thanked the St. Cloud Fire and Police departments and other first responders for their work fighting the fire.

"We've gained many great employees, friends and memories there over the years," the post said. "We appreciate your thoughts and prayers."

The initial fire call came in around 2:40 a.m. from the building above Cowboy Jack's, which shares a wall with The Press Bar, Raymond said. Tenants living in that building were evacuated, and will not likely be able to return for at least a couple of days.

Around 10:15 a.m, St. Cloud Deputy Fire Chief Steve Wunderlich said The Press Bar building will need to be torn down to completely extinguish the fire. An excavation crew from Landwehr Construction started demolishing the building midday Monday.

Portions of Fifth Avenue South and St. Germain Street were closed while crews worked to extinguish the fire and tear down the building.

There have been no reported injuries.

Earlier Monday morning, St. Cloud Fire Chief Dean Wrobbel said the fire had to be fought in a defensive mode. All firefighters had left the building by 6:51 a.m. and were fighting the fire from the outside. At least three ladder trucks were on scene fighting the blaze from above.

St. Cloud Fire asked the public to stay away from the scene and to stay out of the smoke that was in the downtown area.

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Local Red Cross volunteers were on site.

"We're honored to be able to support our local first responders," Executive Director for the American Red Cross serving Central Minnesota Linda Blackmore said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the brave dedicated firefighters who have been fighting the fire at the Press bar since early this morning," St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis tweeted just after 9:30 a.m. "Thinking also of all the businesses and their employees effected by this fire in downtown St. Cloud."

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