Former Stoney's bowling alley being demolished after second fire in two days

CARLISLE TWP. — A fire Sunday morning at the former Stoney's bowling alley on Oberlin-Elyria Road led to the vacant structure being partially demolished in the afternoon. It was the second fire at the building since Saturday evening. Carlisle Township Fire Chief Steve Higgins said investigators are "looking at all angles," but the situation is suspicious because utilities to the building have been shut off for multiple years. Sunday morning's fire started in a different location than Saturday evening's. The Lorain County Sheriff's Department also is looking into the blaze, Higgins said. Chapin Custom Molding, which has a facility nearby, owns the building. After firefighters told a representative of the company they did not want to be called back out for another fire at the old bowling alley if there was suspicious activity, the representative opted to call a demolition crew and take down the rest of the building. Firefighters anticipate the part that was not demolished Sunday will be taken down Monday. Matt Spicer, who works at Don's Auto & Truck Service on Oberlin-Elyria Road, said Stoney's was a nice bowling alley with pool tables when it was open. But as he left Don's on a work call Sunday morning, he noticed what looked like smoke coming from the building. At first, he thought it might be residual from the fire Saturday, but a closer look revealed this was not leftover from the night before. "As I approached the side of the building that was on fire, coming out of that window was about a foot, two foot of flame coming out," Spicer said. He called 911 at 8:19 a.m. to report what he saw. Higgins said Carlisle Township Fire Department quickly realized the fire was serious after receiving the call. "As soon as we left the station we could see the smoke," he said. "We went to the second alarm immediately. We got here, established a water supply pretty quick." The Carlisle Township fire station is less than two miles from the former bowling alley. Firefighters engaged in a defensive attack against blaze as soon as they arrived. The response was elevated to a three-, four- and even five-alarm fire to supply more water shuttles, Higgins said. Water pressure in the area of Stoney's is not great, he said, so the extra tankers were needed to shuttle water from other hydrants to supply multiple dump tanks set up in the roadways. In total, about 17 fire departments from Lorain and Medina Counties assisted in the effort. No firefighters were injured Sunday, Higgins said, although a few had their vitals checked for heat-related complaints and one had to have an IV for fluids. One firefighter battling Saturday's blaze was transported by a LifeCare ambulance for medical treatment. The Stoney's property was last purchased in 2018 for a total of $157,500, according to the Lorain County Auditor's website. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.