Little details in how Uncle Vic's fire started; investigation ongoing

ELYRIA — The demolition of the building that once housed the Uncle Vic's and Mardi Gras nightclubs will continue next week after crews that had worked around the clock stopped for a break Friday. Demolition of the building at 11 Kerstetter Way is expected to take about five days, and cleanup will take two to three weeks. Meanwhile, police are staying quiet about what led to the arrest of two 17-year-olds accused of setting the fire that destroyed the vacant building. Around 8 p.m. Wednesday night, the Elyria Fire Department responded to the report of a fire at the building. The fire raged on for more than four hours and continued to smolder while demolition was underway. By Thursday morning, police had arrested two juveniles for suspicion of arson. One 17-year-old male was charged with aggravated arson, breaking and entering and failure to report a crime. Another 17-year-old male was charged with breaking and entering. Both were being held at the juvenile detention home. Capt. Bill Pelko said Friday the department was given information on who was inside the building, but he would not elaborate. He said an investigation is continuing. The fire drew almost every fire department from across Lorain County to downtown Elyria on Wednesday night for assistance. Tankers were called in to help increase the flow of water on the building. Safety Service Director Kevin Brubaker said water pressure went down because multiple firetrucks and engines had hooked up to fire hydrants pulling from the same lines. It wasn't the pressure, but the amount of water the departments could pull, Brubaker said. Portable water tanks were set up, and Brubaker said the Water Distribution Department worked with firefighters to locate the fire hydrants connected to different lines. Trucks connected to hydrants on Middle Avenue and East River to fill the tanks. Brubaker said the Fire Department had enough flow to fight the fire. Fire Chief Carl Mack said the state fire marshal was called from the very beginning, and that department has been involved with the follow-up fire investigation. The building was owned by Diversified Investments Co. LLC, which is run by Grafton businessman Kevin Flanigan. He bought the building for $200,000 in 2015. Although the building had had its fair share of problems — including a portion of brick facade that fell into the street along Merchants Alley in 2018 — Flanigan has told The Chronicle-Telegram that he had planned to restore and redevelop the building. He had secured the bricks that were falling, and he recently had contractors removing additional bricks from the facade. Brubaker said that Flanigan was cited by the city for the facade issues. A fire inspection had been done in the building in February 2020. The Chronicle has requested the inspection report but had not received it as of press time. Assistant Fire Chief Joe Pronesti has said that fires in older buildings like that one can be dangerous because of the age of them. He said the building was constructed with heavy timber, which means there's a lot of open area and fire can travel quickly. Locally, several restaurants fed the first responders and crews on scene to assist. Marco's Pizza donated pizza and soda, McDonald's donated 100 burgers and coffee, and The Foundry Kitchen & Bar — owned by Flanigan — also donated pizzas. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.