Encore Bar & Grill to be torn down

Friday, July 7, 2017
Neil Herbert | WEAU

ALTOONA, Wis. (WEAU) -- Nearly five months after a restaurant in Altoona was destroyed by a fire, the building will finally be demolished.

The rubble of Encore Bar & Grill will be cleaned up starting next week.
According to American Express Transport & Excavation out of Eau Claire, they will have a demolition crew on scene next week some time. 
What's left of the building has remained up since the fire happened on February 16th of this year.

An investigation into the cause of the fire was launched back in March, and is now complete. Investigators from Township Fire Department say the fire has been ruled accidental and they were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire.

WEAU 13 News reached out to the bar and restaurant's owner, David Zempel to see what he has planned for the property after the old building is demolished but have not heard back.

ALTOONA, Wis. (WEAU) --Nearly 5 months after a restaurant in Altoona was destroyed by a fire, the building will finally be demolished.

The rubble of Encore Bar & Grill will be cleaned up starting next week.

According to American Express Transport & Excavation out of Eau Claire, they will have a demolition crew on scene next week. The building has looked the way it does now since the fire happened on February 16th of this year.

The company says they are going to meet on Monday about when the demolition will actually take place. They don't have a set date, but a tentative date is next Wednesday. An investigation into the cause of the fire was launched back in March, but it has yet to be made public.

We didn't get a hold of owner, David Zempel, about what his plans are for the property after it's demolished. We'll have that information when it comes available.

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