Saturday morning the Crosslake Fire Department was checking for any hot spots that might still be left after the early morning fire that destroyed the Exchange Bar and Grill in Crosslake.
The only portion of the building left standing was the dining room, kitchen, and an apartment.
A passerby spotted the fire at 3:06 a.m. Saturday, July 5, and called it in. Crosslake firefighters arrived within minutes and found the entire south end of the building on fire with flames shooting through the roof.
Firefighters had the fire under control within a half hour and by 4 a.m. were searching for hot spots.
There was no one in the building and no one was injured
Crosslake Fire Chief Keith Anderson said mutual aid fire departments were called. Responding were Pequot Lakes, Mission Township, Fifty Lakes, Ideal Township and Nisswa fire departments.
"At one time there were 60 to 70 firefighters on the scene," Anderson said. "Deputy State Fire Marshal Mark Germain was called and was at the scene. The cause of the fire does not look suspicious and we will probably have a report from the fire marshal later."
Germain said Tuesday, "The cause of the fire is still under investigation. We don't have a cause at this time. I plan to go back later in the week."
Fire Capt. Chip Lohmiller said large diameter hoses were laid to the Corps of Engineers Campground which supplied all the water they needed for the department's pumpers and the Ideal Fire Department Ladder Truck which was used to shoot water inside the building from above.
"When the wind picked up, we didn't want the fire to rekindle so we called in Wannebo Excavating who used a grapple hook on a back hoe to tear down hotspots under the roofing material," Lohmiller said.
"The fire department did an outstanding job of controlling the fire," Bob Hartman, Crosslake Police Chief, said. "When the call came in, an officer was in his squad car on CSAH 66 near the Exchange."
The bar, stage, and dance floor were completely destroyed. There was little left except for charred wood. Lohmiller said firefighters had to be very careful because it was a hot fire and it was a steel beam construction. In a fire, the rivets pop on steel beams and the beams twist.
When police and firefighters arrived at the Exchange there were four vehicles in the parking lot. Two were parked close to the building and were well scorched. Two other vehicles further from the building were not damaged. Anderson said all four vehicles were towed from the scene by D and G Towing.
Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the north end of the building. Anderson said the kitchen, dining room and the apartment in the back of the building suffered smoke and water damage.
. The Exchange is owned by Pat Murphy. He had sold the business and got it back on Aug. 10, 2007.
The Exchange, which was formerly called the Log Jam, burned down on Aug. 1, 1971. 1984 was a bad year for nightclub fires in Crosslake; Moonlite Bay was destroyed by fire on May 30 and the Manhattan Beach Club burned down on Oct. 8, 1984.
