On March 29th, the well-loved Boulder Creek Brewery burned down. The Boulder Creek Boulder Brewery was located at 13040 State Route 9 and was known as a “Laid-back watering hole serving hand-crafted ales, burgers, fried avocados & hearty entrees,” according to favorable Yelp reviews. The Brewery was located in the central area of the town, making it a hub for wonderful food and good times with other community members.
The fire went unnoticed for a few minutes before the dishwasher and a passing driver called 911. The fire department received the call at 1:45 am. The first responders arrived on the scene in minutes. As the on-scene officer, Battalion Chief Gabe Vega, a resident of Boulder Creek for 33 years and an employee of the Boulder Creek Fire Department for 15 years, arrived he sent in multiple firefighters into the flaming building to go “offensive” on the fire and extinguish it before any real harm was done.
“After a few minutes I pulled the firemen outside of the building because the roof looked like it was in pretty bad shape,” said Vega. The roof collapsed just minutes after the men were removed from the interior of the Brewery.
“To extinguish the fire the BCFD used water as a cooling agent and Class A foam to extinguish the fire. The department estimates that they used approximately 40 gallons of Class A foam which helps break down the surface tension of the water and allows the water to better penetrate the wood that is on fire,” explained Vega.
To aid in the extinguishing the fire, Vega called it in as a second alarm fire. This calls for more engines from local departments.
Joe’s Bar, located at 13118 Central Avenue, Boulder Creek, has started a campaign to raise money to rebuild the Boulder Creek Brewery better than ever. Sierra Nevada Brewing company has also began pairing with the brewery to create a special brew for the Boulder Creek Brewery.
To determine the cause of the fire the insurance company hired private fire investigators to search the building. The investigators decided that the fire was cause by a broken gas pipe upstairs by the managers office.
When asked for some safety advice, Battalion Chief Vega and Firefighter Curtis Skywind said, “to be sure to have either a closing door or a screen on a fireplace, to always extinguish candles before leaving a room or going to bed, make sure your pipes are up to date and safe, always replace your batteries in a fire alarm and to only use matches and lighters in a safe area and never around anything flammable.” Staying safe is always important and fires are easily preventable as long as you follow all of these basic safety rules.
By: Andy Wise, News Writer
The Claw 