Fire destroyed the Wayside Bar & Grill in Fond du Lac early Wednesday morning.
Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase said they arrived at 4:40 a.m. to find the whole upstairs of the bar, 295 W. Division St., on fire and smoke in the bar and restaurant.
He said fire consumed the apartment upstairs, which was vacant but they weren’t sure about the damage to the lower floor.
Police officers arrived at the scene first and reported heavy fire.
Haase said the owner told them they had left between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. after closing up for the night and as far as they knew there was no one in the building.
Haase said the building will likely be considered a total loss between the fire damage on upper floor and smoke and water damage throughout.
At least 50 firefighters from 12 departments were involved in fighting the blaze. The police and fire departments are investigating the fire. The bar was popular for its fish fry.
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