Ryan Gerster, the owner of the First Ward House, received a phone call ten minutes after leaving the nightclub, and was told that “the fire was substantial.”
Gerster says there were six employees and 45 customers in the saloon when the fire broke out. He had high praise for his staff. “My employees handled the evacuation of the building, my kitchen manager had shut off the gas line on his way out.”
“I’m very thankful for the people that I had here working, because there were no casualties of any kind. Thank God there weren’t.”
St Joseph Fire Department Battalion Chief Paris Jenkins says the fire started on a deck off the rear of the structure, but by the time his crews arrived, the fire had also involved the east end of the structure. Jenkins says nine units and 29 crew members responded to help put out the fire. That does not include numerous police officers and city yards employees.
The fire, at 2101 St Joseph Avenue, required officials to close the avenue for several hours. Damage was extensive.
“The exterior walls appear to be okay,” Jenkins says, “however it is heavily damaged.” Chief Jenkins could offer no assessment on if, or when, the club might be able to reopen.
“I don’t know where we’re headed from here,” said the clubowner Ryan Gerster. “I can tell you that the Ward has burned down twice before. I remember when Norty’s burned down too, and there’s still a Norty’s in St Joe. So, I’m hopeful right now.”
Gerster hopes to reopen the club. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t,” he said.
A team was expected to remain on scene overnight. Smoke continued to pour from an old tree in the center of the nightclub’s deck, and another one across the street. Chief Jenkins says both trees are hollow and continued to burn after the structure fire had been knocked down. Jenkins says both trees will likely need to be cut down. That’s not going to be an easy task, as both are about 100 free tall. There are buildings, street traffic and electric lines in the way.
By late evening Thursday, there was already an online campaign to “Help Rebuild The First Ward.“