‘It’s heart-wrenching’: Portland sports bar owner devastated after business severely damaged by fire

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A Portland sports bar owner says he’s devastated after his business caught fire early Tuesday morning. The smoke from that fire also damaged several other businesses nearby.

“It’s dark, there’s smoke damage everywhere, water damage everywhere, stuff all over the floor, the source of the fire, the kitchen area, is just completely destroyed,” said Peter Mahr.

Gol PDX owner Peter Mahr is still reeling after fire swept through his family-owned sports bar early Tuesday morning.

“It’s heart-wrenching, we put a lot work into this place,” said Mahr. “And to see that gone in one night is really difficult to take emotionally.”

The flames broke out in the kitchen ceiling while the bar was closed, sending smoke into neighboring businesses.

Mahr said investigators ruled the fire accidental but the cause is still under investigation.

“There was no staff here, there was no one cooking, so there was some problem within the kitchen that started the fire and it spread from there,” said Mahr.

Now, his employees are temporarily out of a job as the business tries to recover.

“It’s a big emotional blow for us and I think the community, a lot of people have been stopping by and saying their regards, giving us support, giving us well wishes,” said Mahr.

But in the wake of tragedy, community is stepping in to help him pick up the pieces.

“The fruits of having built that community is when something goes wrong, then they have our backs. And that’s a great feeling to have that we’re not in it alone, and step by step we’ll get ourselves out of this, and we’ll get through it,” said Mahr.

Mahr doesn’t know when he’ll reopen, but a fundraiser has been started to help during this difficult time. To learn more about that go here.