Bison Turf burns down, owners says he will rebuild
By Ashley Bishop |
Posted: Fri 6:01 PM, Jul 22, 2016 |
Updated: Fri 8:36 PM, Jul 22, 2016
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - An iconic bar and restaurant in north Fargo went up in flames Friday.
The Bison Turf, near NDSU’s campus, has been a popular destination for years. Now, it's attracting a crowd for a much different reason. A group of people gathered to watch as heavy smoke and flames consumed the building.
Fire crews are expected to be on site for most of the evening, working to control the fire that started just after 2 p.m.
Owner Pete Sabo says he was at the intersection nearby when his business went up in flames.
"I saw the exhaust fans start smoking and saw flames lap out of the side of it and I thought damn."
Heavy smoke filled the surrounding area and flames shot outside of the building. The Fargo Fire Department used a ladder truck to try and contain the flames.
Sabo says he noticed a hot smell earlier in the day.
"We shut the restaurant down three hours ago with that smell because we didn't know what it was."
Sabo says his electrician was there early Friday morning and his appliance person was in the building when the fire broke out.
The restaurant had four employees inside when the fire started and they quickly escaped with no injuries.
The smoke and flames drew crowds of people.
"We pulled over in the parking lot and about a minute into it you heard a small explosion that made a big boom," said Brad Muldder, a resident of Fargo.
There was an explosion and Sabo said he thinks that was the gas line, Fargo fire says they are still in the early stages of investigating.
"As the flames came out of the roof I felt the heat," said Muldder.
"We saw a small amount of smoke and the next thing we knew was it was engulfed in flames,” said Randy Muldder of Fargo.
Brad Muldder says he was driving by with his dad and had to stop to see the iconic building.
"That is a landmark for the bison and this town," said Randy Muldder.
Sabo says he wants fans of this iconic building to know that he does plan to rebuild and will try to recover those old tables with carved names if he can.