ALGOMA — A fire Friday at Anchors Away Bar and Motel forced guests to evacuate. No injuries were eported.
- Owner Byron Broerman believes the fire was electrical
- The bar remains closed with significant inventory loss
- Guests, including Ward Goodwin, must find temporary housing as the building remains without power
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A fire broke out Friday at Anchors Away Algoma Bar and Motel, forcing guests to evacuate.
Byron Broerman, the owner of the bar and motel, acted quickly to alert guests, including Ward Goodwin, who was temporarily staying at the motel.
“Byron came upstairs… BOOM BOOM BOOM, you gotta get out!” Goodwin said.
Goodwin said he was caught off guard when Broerman banged on his door, urging him to leave.
“I was in my room watching TV, and all of a sudden, there was a pounding on the door telling me to get out. So I go to find out what’s going on, and when I opened the door, all you could smell was smoke burning,” he said.
Broerman declined to appear on camera but said he was thankful everyone made it out safely. He also praised Algoma Fire and Rescue for their quick response.
Once outside, Goodwin described the chaotic scene.
“It was crazy because the wind was blowing, and the wires going into the building were still hitting the metal. It was sparking, and I made a joke that I didn’t know that we could have fireworks here now,” he said.
Brandon Lewins, who works next to the bar and motel, witnessed the fire while on a break.
“I came out to have a smoke break, and I was watching the guys on the roof, you know. A dude’s pointing at me, I’m waving, and he’s like pointing over here. So I end up turning and see the fire,” Lewins said.
Due to the power outage caused by the fire, guests at the motel, including Goodwin, now have to find alternative lodging. The bar remains closed until further notice, with thousands of dollars worth of inventory lost.
Ryan Goodwin, Ward’s son, said the fire was an unfortunate setback.
“It sucks to see him have a setback like this, you know. Especially in a time when the economy sucks, nobody has a lot of money right now. Yeah, sure, there’s insurance companies, but even then, it still sucks,” he said.
Algoma Fire and Rescue has not yet provided details on what may have sparked the fire.
