Whiskey Row fire could put damper on holiday weekends

May 09, 2012

A two-alarm fire on Prescott's famed Whiskey Row destroyed at least three businesses Tuesday night. From Phoenix, KJZZ’s Terry Ward reports

TERRY WARD: An employee at the Bird Cage Saloon noticed smoke about 6:30 Tuesday evening, was unable to find the source, but quickly got customers out of the bar and called 911. Prescott Fire Capt. Eric Kriwer says it took 60 firefighters and 10 engines about two hours to gain control of the fire.

ERIC KRIWER: When the first arriving units got on the scene, it had heavy smoke showing from a bar-b-que restaurant on Whiskey Row and the Bird Cage Saloon. Crews quickly upgraded the assignment to add additional units and gained access to the roof area and made sure they evacuated all the neighboring businesses.

WARD: The blaze damaged the Bird Cage and the Prescott Food Store and Larry & Hy's BBQ restaurant. The area can draw thousands of people, especially over holiday weekends. Kriwer says it could put a damper on 4th of July partiers.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE (5/9/2012): An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Prescott Fire Capt. Eric Kriwer.