MASON CITY – Fire was raging at the Rose Bowl early Thursday morning.
According to the Mason City Fire Department, at 3:12 a.m. this morning, the firefighters were dispatched for a fire at the Rose Bowl at 4173 S Federal Avenue. Upon arrival, flames were showing through the windows and the roof on the west side of the building. Thirty-six members of the Mason City Fire Department were either already on duty or called in to duty as a result of this fire.
Firefighters were able to confine the blaze to the dining room/banquet hall area
on the west side of the building. The roof over this area of the Rose Bowl has
collapsed. The rest of the building did receive some smoke and water damage as a result of the fire. No citizens or firefighters were injured as a result of this blaze. Most of the Mason City Fire Department apparatus, equipment and personnel were cleared from the scene at the Rose Bowl at 9:53 a.m. this morning. However, the Mason City Fire Bureau led by Fire Marshal Mark Christiansen and the State Fire Marshal are still on scene investigating. A press release will be prepared when the Mason City Fire Department completes their investigation
Around 3:00 AM, the Mason City Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at the Rose Bowl, located at Highway 65 and the Avenue of the Saints.
At 3:30 AM, strong flames could be seen in the front, top of the building as firefighters doused it with high pressure water hoses. Smoke filled the area.
Most of the flames could be seen at the entry way and banquet area. A portion of the roof may have collapsed.
One Mason City Police officer said, “The maintenance man was coming into work and saw the flames, that’s when he called us.”
An outpouring of sympathy was left on the Rose Bowl’s Facebook page in the immediate hours following the fire.
According to a Mason City Fire Department spokesperson, fire investigators were still on scene at 11 AM Wednesday. “No information is available at this time,” said records clerk Jo Beck.
More on this developing story later.
PHOTOS:
do you think any witnesses will come forward seeing Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci leaving the parking lot?
They ought to relocate the Rose Bowl inside Southbridge Mall along with a youth center. The mall is a central location for younger folks to reach on foot or pedal bike. Besides, the downtown could use some kind of business bump. Sears ought to relocate downtown if Penneys goes bankrupt. The west end Kmart building should be left for commercial development only.
Not the worst ideas I have heard. Now, buy the mayor a tall glass of whiskey and convince him to sign off on your idea.
It sounds like the damage was not enough to close the place. They will probably just have to fix the restaurant and Bar area. Let’s wait for the rest of the story before jumping to conclusions.
Hey just heard kmart is closing maybe that would be a great place to reopen and turn it into a place for young kids like they have in Minneapolis. Pizza, games, lazer tag. Get some investors and run with it. What a shame we have lost a great place to go have some fun.
@USMC-wow, I hope you are wrong. I would rather see Sears close than K-Mart
Sears isn’t far behind..
A lot of places don’t seem far behind.
Perkins, is in bankruptcy, just keeps enough cash coming in, to stay open.
Arbys, has no business, and never has. Corporate managers, just want the store open in mason, it’s never made a profit I know of.
Long John Silvers was in the same position. It hadn’t made any profit in the last 6 years before it closed.
What’s frightening, even though a lot of businesses, mostly restaurants, seem unstable. They keep building more. Which must mean the climate in other places is even worse.
I think you’re right. If you are in MCity after 6-7 pm in the evening, just take a drive around town. It is dead as dead can be. Absolutely nothing going on at all. A few rusty sculptures surrounded by drunks, druggies and assault artists. The fast food drive thrus are full starting at 530 till 630 then empty out. What few people are left in town go inside and hunker down as if the German Luftwaffe and its little Bookmeyer pilots are coming to drop torpedoes on their heads. It’s just a bad scene and it’s only getting worse.
LVS, great idea….NOT! You think Kmart is mis managed, dirty look up the history for teen hangouts. Look around you and open your eyes. It would be a place to hang out for all your methheads, kids looking to hookup, smoke “dope”, buy dope, fight, steal, etc. Anybody stupid enough to invest in them has probably invested in Kmart stock for the past few years. Here’s an idea, somebody invest in a business to EMPLOY teens thus teach them some skills to amount to something later.
“somebody to invest in a business to EMPLOY teens thus teach them some skills to amount to something later.”
What are you complaining about?
Mason City flourishes with such investments in businesses–McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, Taco John, Wendy’s, etc.
That’s about it.
That’s a good idea USMC. I like it. The empty Larsen’s Building in Clear Lake is also another prime real estate to open up big indoor mall type things so people can do fun activities in the wintertime indoors. Minneapolis has so many things to do for their people, because they BELIEVE in having a good quality of life. They don’t sit on their thumbs…they make things HAPPEN.
This is a darn shame. The city has just lost a valuable asset. So many people used the facility on a ongoing basis for recreation. We had been going there for as long as I can remember. What a loss.
So thankful no one was hurt.
These are some great pictures. I know how tricky it is getting night shots.
Excellent!
View more photos
http://public.fotki.com/Meyer-SpearPhotos/accidents/