WINONA, Minn. – Firefighters were handicapped at the fire that destroyed the Black Horse Bar and Grill by lack of hydrants to plug into for water, said Winona Fire Chief Joel Corcoran. There are no hydrants in the unincorporated Homer area just south of the Winona city limits. Crews had to haul water from theWinona city system a mile away and from nearby swamps and Mud Lake – all of which lost precious time. Eventually water-hauling pumper trucks arrived from outlying volunteer fire departments, some as far as 20 miles away.
Fast-moving fire
Water tucks come and go. No hydrants handy in Homer. Water had to be hauled. Image: Pickwick Fire Department
By then, if not before, the whole complex of wooden structures comprising the tinder-dry Black Horse were gone. A neighbor across Old Homer Road, Scott Kaehler, one of the first to see the fire, said flames coming through the roof within 15 minutes The structure, all wood frame, was vacuous in places, including what once had been a ballroom and in later years was a venue for weddings, banquets and and large gatherings with as many as 200 guests..