Even if you’ve never been there, you’ve at least heard of the small tavern called Billy’s Red Room. A small, friendly place where people sat down for drinks and food, where kids received little bags of Swedish fish, and students often visited after school. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

Recently, on Monday, November 27th, the building was damaged by a fire that caused a large chunk of the first floor of the building to burn down. Luckily, both Billy and his wife, Madeleine, were able to be rescued before being seriously injured, but several people who were there at the time had to go to the hospital afterward due to smoke inhalation.

The fire burned from the mid-afternoon into the night when it was eventually smothered enough by hoses to be put out. Originally, investigators at the scene attributed the origin of the blaze to a fire in the kitchen, but further analysis showed this to be unlikely and the origin of the flames is still unclear.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say this was quite the saddening event. What will happen to the building is still vague, and only time will tell. 

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