HOMER, Minn. – Fire ravaged through the Black Horse Bar and Grill on the east edge of Winona. A cook who lives in an apartment above the bar, Chris Rotering, reported the fire about 3:05 a.m. He escaped safely but only with the shirt on his back. No one else was believed in the hulking barn-like wood frame structure. Nothing much was left. It was an all-alarm fire. Crews responded from nine fire departments. They battled the fire with hoses from the ground and also from truck-mounted ladders. The cause was not determined immediately. The state fire marshal dispatched an inspector to sift through the remains once they cool. Address: The 34600 blockif Old Homer Road.
Aerial water attack. The building was wholly engulfed when Winona firefighters arrived. They asked for back-up units from Dakota, Goodview, Minnesota City, Nodine, Pickwick, Ridgeway, Rolligstone and Wilson to pump water. Image: Richard Drazkowski
On a sunny day. The Black Horse has marketed itself in recent years for team volleyball and as a sports bar for a young crowd. It had been a well-patronized supper club off and on over the years.