WHISPERING PINES — A landmark on Cobb Mountain built in 1946, formerly a popular tavern that hosted live music and dancing, caught fire and burned down early Monday morning.
“At this point we don”t think it”s arson. We think it was caused by a generator being run in the building, but we haven”t finished the investigation,” Cal Fire/Southlake Fire Battalion Chief Jim Wright said. “It is a total loss.”
It hadn”t been in use as a bar/restaurant since Chris Pennock purchased it two years ago, and it was essentially abandoned. The county asked him to board up the building to prevent squatters from occupying it about nine months ago ? but Pennock found out Monday from firefighters that effort didn”t help.
“It”s very interesting [the fire may have been caused by a generator]. From what I understand it was put in there by people who are squatting in the back, who I don”t know from Adam. I”m sure that they have plenty of insurance and I can go after that ? not!”
Wright said no-one was in the building at the time the fire occurred, and no-one was injured in the fire.
“There were people living there in a cabin behind the bar. They say they have permission to live there, but we could never could verify their story. The people living there behind the bar are the ones who have the generator,” Wright said.
Pennock said he “specifically did not insure it for fire, because it was a tear-down anyway.”
The fire began at approximately 1 a.m., and was reported by a neighbor who saw smoke.
“It was an hour ?till we got it knocked down, and several more hours of mop up,” Wright said.
A nearby pool at Whispering Pines Resort was drained to help put out the fire.
County Code Enforcement Manager Voris Brumfield said she went to the building at 7 a.m. while firefighters mopped up to red-tag the building in order to prevent anyone from going inside.
A contractor of Pennock”s called Code Enforcement Tuesday to see about expected demolition of the building. Brumfield recalled when the building had been a tavern with dancing, a restaurant and bar. Since the 1940”s, it had various owners, one renovation in 1977 and several different names, including Whispering Pines Tavern, JV”s, and most recently ? Bruceski”s. “It was a local bar, and at one time it was owned by folks who did dinners and live music. It was a real fun place,” Brumfield said.
Wright said two Southlake Fire engines, two Southlake water tenders, one Cal Fire engine, plus the Cal Fire Helitack crew put out the fire, a total of 15 to 20 firefighters. An investigator spent about four hours determining the cause of fire.
Pennock said his next plans are to bulldoze the building and make the property safe. In the future, he would “love to build a commercial building,” and rent out space at the site.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
