Fire Destroys Historic Marysville Buildings

MARYSVILLE (CBS13) -- An early morning fire left two businesses destroyed in Historic Marysville Chinatown early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Firefighters from several area agencies rushed to the scene after a fire broke out at the Knockouts Sports Bar and Grill just before closing time.

"One of our customers at the bar said, 'Hey listen, you have a fire on your roof,'" said owner Tony Behari. "The fire was over my head and it was falling around. We ran outside and we called the fire department."

The flames spread to the Traveler's Hotel next door, forcing at least two dozen people to evacuate. The fire destroyed the historic building that used to be the Pago Pago club, and firefighters said the old construction of the building made it difficult to contain the flames.

"It's balloon construction, so when the fire starts low it races up the walls because there are no fire stops," said CAL FIRE spokesperson Bob Eicholtz. "This fire was big and was big fast."

One firefighter suffered a heat-related injury while responding to the incident but is expected to recover. The cause of the fire is under investigation.