Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Heartburn in Ketchum

Whiskey Jacques’ owner says they’ll rebuild


By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer


Firefighters pour water onto the remains of Whiskey Jacques’ on Monday morning after a blaze reduced the local favorite, along with the former Dirty Little Roddy’s building, to rubble. The Sawtooth Club and the Sotheby’s International Realty building also received water and smoke damage. Express photo by Willy Cook

In the wee hours of Monday morning, an iconic piece of Ketchum was reduced to ashes as saddened and bedraggled residents looked on helplessly.

The news spread almost as quickly as the flames. It wasn't long before a crowd had gathered to watch as an inferno leveled Whiskey Jacques', one of Ketchum's most beloved watering holes and an institution on Main Street for more than three decades.

The building that contained the bar was estimated to have been built in the 1880s. The fire started at 271 Main St., according to the Ketchum Fire Department. That building, just north of Whiskey's, has sat vacant since the bar Dirty Little Roddy's closed in March.

The fire completely destroyed the two structures between Sun Valley Road and Second Avenue and significantly damaged the adjacent Sawtooth Club.

By Tuesday, the smoke had cleared, but there was still plenty of work to be done, including an investigation into the source of the fire.

"We're not ready to comment yet," Ketchum Police Chief Corey Lyman said when asked about the cause of the fire. "We're not close to making a determination, but have not ruled out arson."

State Fire Marshal Investigator Ivan Hibbert arrived from Idaho Falls on Monday and will be assisted by Ketchum Police Detective Scott Manning.

Rogers said firefighters were dispatched at 3:09 a.m. after a 911 call was placed by a passerby. Firefighters were on scene two minutes later, and Fire Chief Mike Elle said crews began an interior attack on the empty building about 3:20 a.m.

By noon on Monday the flames had been knocked down, but smoke continued to bellow from the gaping hole. Firefighters expected to have the fire completely extinguished by Tuesday afternoon.

Agencies throughout the Wood River Valley responded, including Sun Valley, Hailey, Carey and Wood River Fire & Rescue. Due to the intensity of the fire, assistance also came from Gooding, Jerome, Burley and Twin Falls.

"To have over 70 firefighters show up at that time of night is amazing," said Elle. "It really shows how we all can pull together."

The timber framing and wood siding of the old buildings are part of Ketchum's Western history. But they created a situation in which the fire was able to spread quickly from one building to the other.

None of the buildings had sprinkler systems installed, because of their age, according to Kim Rogers, spokeswoman for the Ketchum Fire Department.

"We always knew it was a danger because of the age. They're very old buildings with iffy walls creating a huge safety issue," Elle said.

While no one was injured, Elle confirmed that the entranceway of the former Dirty Little Roddy's collapsed shortly after a group of Ketchum firefighters entered the building, forcing them to retreat through a window, leaving tools and hose behind.

Elle said the fire was contained at 9:41 a.m. Monday and under control around noon.

Firefighters consumed 1.2 million gallons of water Monday, according to Ketchum Utilities Superintendent Steve Hansen.

"It was a good test and the water system held up well," Hansen said.

Idaho Power cut off electricity to the north part of Ketchum early in the day. Service was restored to everywhere but the affected block by 5 p.m.

Rogers said no damage estimate has been made, though it's clear that both Whiskey Jacques' and the former Dirty Little Roddy's building are complete losses.

But the brick wall constitutes most of The Sawtooth Club to the second floor protected the building from the blaze. The timber-framed portion of the northern wall that separated the establishment from Whiskey Jacques' was heavily damaged. On Monday afternoon, excavators removed smoldering pieces connecting the two buildings.

"I had my 'woe is me' moment for about 15 minutes at 6 a.m. and then moved on," said Tom Nickel, owner of the Sawtooth Club.

He's hopeful he can reopen by the middle of December.

In the meantime, Nickel said that he's going to try and bring more live music to the Roosevelt Tavern, which he also owns.

"We'll try to fill the void best we can, but we could never replace Whiskeys," Nickel said.

The building that housed Dirty Little Roddy's is owned by Ore House LLC, according to Blaine County records. The managers of that company are Robert Kantor and George Kirk. Dirty Little Roddy's was owned by Boise bar owner Ted Challenger.

On the northern end of the block, the Sotheby's International Realty building appeared to weather the incident the best, courtesy of its concrete wall.

All over Ketchum's streets, residents have been mourning the tragic loss of Whiskey Jacques', which has provided beer and live entertainment for several generations of ski bums.

But owner Karin Martin isn't wallowing in sorrow. On Tuesday morning, while firefighters continued to work over the site looking for live embers, Martin said she already had plans to bring life back to Main Street.

"We're working on it as we speak," Martin said, her voice upbeat with optimism. "We're going to push as hard as we can to be open sometime this winter."

Martin said that she has received support from the city.

"I just can't cut and run—I have to rebuild," Martin said. "We're a ski town and a resort. We need an entertainment bar. I truly want to reopen for this town."

Chief Elle made a public request for any photographs or videos taken by members of the public, especially during the early stages of the fire, to help with the investigation. They can be dropped off at Ketchum City Hall or e-mailed to info@ketchumfire.org.

"We lost a good portion of downtown," Mayor Randy Hall said. "We have had some hard hits in the past year, but I know we will recover."




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