April 26--Firefighters battled a fire Friday night in Howell's Bar & Grill, a longtime fixture in downtown west Dearborn.
Dozens of bystanders watched as flames shot out windows and thick smoke poured from the popular tavern at 1035 Mason St.
Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray said the building was a total loss. There were no injuries reported. Murray said all of the patrons were exiting the building as the firefighters arrived on the scene.
Joe Romzek, 49, of Dearborn was in the restaurant part of the bar when the fire started about 7:30 p.m.. He said it was about half full.
As of 3 a.m., the fire still raged.
"I was initially thinking that the smoke was coming from underneath the bar and it started billowing up into the whole area," Romzek said. "The cook went into the basement and it was full of smoke and he ran upstairs and yelled for everybody to get out."
It wasn't immediately clear whether the fire had spread to neighboring businesses, including a boutique and barbershop. The bar is housed in the lower half of a two-story brick building, with an art studio on the top floor.
Romzek said he lives about four blocks away and comes to the bar every Friday night.
"This is very sad," Romzek said. "This is a classic local bar."
More than 20 firefighters continued to battle the blaze after 11 p.m. Murray characterized the fire as "very intense."
The bar, an old-time shot and beer joint at the corner of Mason and West Village Drive, is a popular watering hole for Ford Motor workers, who refer to it as Building H.
A 2006 Free Press review called Howell's "the great-great-grandpappy of the west Dearborn entertainment district."
In 2008, Detroit Free Press restaurant critic Sylvia Rector rated the burgers at Howell's Bar & Grill among the best in the metro Detroit area.
"Sitting a short block south of Michigan Avenue, the bar served its first drink as Prohibition ended; it took on the Howell name in 1941," the review said. "It's one of those small, humble neighborhood joints that used to be everywhere."
Dearborn resident Trish Bridges called her family in Florida and her father to tell them their favorite hangout was burning before her eyes.
"It's just awful," Bridges said. "This place is just an iconic spot for everyone in Dearborn. I hope they're able to rebuild after everything they've lost."
Contact Katrease Stafford: [email protected], 313-223-4759. Follow her on Twitter @KatreaseS.
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