A Sunday morning fire completely destroyed the interior of the Boulder Creek Brewery and Café, leaving a hollow shell of the once-popular meeting place.
Boulder Creek Fire Chief Kevin McClish said that the first unit was dispatched at 1:45 a.m., following reports of a fire. Upon arrival, the battalion chief saw smoke and flames inside the building and called second alarm, which brought in additional units.
“The first two engines on scene, we actually sent those crews inside the building to try to stop the fire before it got really big; unfortunately, the fire had gone for too long and we pulled the crews out,” he said.
By 2:11 a.m., the blaze had gone through the roof and crews were pulled from the building due to fear of the roof’s collapse. From there, the firefighters focused all their efforts on the outside of the building, dumping large amounts of water onto the flames.
“We had the Santa Cruz City truck up here, and eventually at 4:32 a.m. we declared the fire under control, “ McClish explained, adding that they were at the scene of the fire doing overhaul until about 10 a.m.
The entire inside of the building was destroyed with only a few walls left standing and a completely collapsed roof.
“There’s probably some things in there that are salvageable, but for the most part it was a total loss,” McClish said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and arson is not suspected at this time, but the origin was the upstairs office on the northeast side of the building, he said.
“It’s really hard to say, there is very little as far as sources of ignition, so possibly (an electrical source) would possibly be the suspect, but can’t say for sure,” he said.
Boulder Creek Brewery and Café was opened in 1989 and employed between 40 to 50 people at the time of the fire.
“It’s a small business that employs a lot of people that fills a niche that we need,” said Justin Acton, president of the Boulder Creek Business Association. “It’s a loss, but I am hopeful that they can get back on their feet and pull it together and rebuild.”
Acton, who owns the nearby Boulder Creek Pizza and Pub, said that this debilitating fire came just before the busiest time of the year.
“I work in the service industry, I have been here for a long time, and I certainly feel for all the people that work there.”
He added that the business association will do anything it can to support those suffering the loss of the brewery.
A benefit was held at Joe’s Bar on Sunday night to help raise money for the brewery’s employees that are currently out of work. Local band Heathen Hill performed and band member Mark Becker said that the benefit raised over $5,000.
The owners of the Brewery also own Surfrider Café in Santa Cruz. According to the Brewery’s Facebook page, Surfrider held training sessions earlier this week so that brewery staff could pick up some shifts.
Owners Stephen Wyman and Nancy Long were not reachable for comment.
