New York residents have been left devastated after a beloved local bar in Buffalo was destroyed by a fire.
The Old Pink bar and grill on Allen Street – which has been open since the 1990s – was severely damaged after going up in flames on Monday around 5.30am.
Dozens of firefighters put out the blaze in Allentown around 5.45am, but officials said they were not able to go inside the building because the inferno was so intense. Nobody was inside or injured and it is unclear what sparked the fire, WGRZ reported.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation as the wooden dive bar sustained $1.25million in reported damages and has been deemed a complete loss, investigators said.
The uncontrollable flames and heavy smoke spread to nearby streets as some remained closed early Monday morning.
The Old Pink is considered an iconic landmark in Buffalo that owner, Molly Brinkworth has been managing for more than three decades.
‘It became a home, a family, to so many people,’ Colleen Evans, Brinkworth’s daughter, said on a GoFundMe page.
‘Open everyday, it was the first place you wanted to cheers while home on Thanksgiving, or the perfect spot to grab a steak sandwich on Christmas night, the place you could always count on to meet or make new friends, and for all generations to enjoy. It was.. now it’s gone.’
The building was first known as Jimmie Oates Pub before it was renamed Birdie’s 19th Hole in the 70s. In 1983, Mark Supples rented the bar from Brinkworth’s family and called the bar Pink Flamingo, which was later shortened to The Pink.
The bar is known for its dark and dreary interior, filled with black lights and music enjoyed by many Western New Yorkers.
It is also famed for its beloved bar food items, including its iconic steak sandwiches that were added to the menu by Brinkworth’s father and uncle, Dennis and Kevin.
They brought the steak sandwich to the local bar after becoming inspired by a tiny New York City restaurant, Buffalo Rising reported.
Brinkworth told the outlet that since the sandwich’s inception, the recipe has remained the same.
Many heartbroken customers took to social media to pay homage to the Old Pink after the fire.
‘The Pink was such an iconic Buffalo staple that I’m sure thousands of us has some wild memories of (not to mention the bomb-a** steak sandwiches),’ one said.
‘So many phases of my life were documented in The Old Pink bathroom, RIP my favorite dive bar of all time. I will miss your red lights, dirty floors and broken toilet seats more than I can ever express,’ wrote another.
Another said: ‘Mourning the loss of a landmark today.’
Amanda Lopez, a local resident who lives just across the street from the Old Pink, told WIVB: ‘It’s definitely just so sad to see.’
‘So many people have so many memories in there, I’m thinking about the steak sandwiches, all the good times when the bars are closing the pink’s always open.’
‘It’s always available to people, so I know it’s going to be tough for a lot of people to deal with. It’s been there for so long, not even just for my generation but generations before me,’ Lopez added.
New York State Senator Sean Ryan also shared memories from the Buffalo staple.
‘This bar was an icon. Not just for this neighborhood, but for all of WNY. One of my staffers met her husband there.,’ he said.
‘I’m having some plumbing done at my house and he’s from Holland, NY, but he had met his wife here.’
‘I’ve been through… almost all my stages of adulthood were in The Pink. I was probably in here before I was supposed to be in here and I would go away but this was the place… I’m going to miss it,’ Ryan added.
As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe page raised $2,255 to help Brinkworth and her staff.
WKBM said that Emergency Demolition has been ordered for the burnt building.
Officials are concentrating on one area of the bar, but it is still unclear what sparked the flames.
‘Today was a devastating day for our staff, out community, and the Brinkworth family. The Old Pink is currently being torn down and by the end of the day, will be gone completely,’ the bar said in an Instagram post.
‘Please come by the site and mourn with us. Our legacy will live on through you.’