Monday morning fire destroys Spiderdome

By Cindy Sheets
Contributing Writer

A rural bar was destroyed by fire Monday morning.

The Spiderdome, located northeast of Perkins at 3219 E. 92nd, was a total loss.

Firefighters from Perkins, Ingalls, the Iowa Tribe and Stillwater were dispatched to the property just after 9 a.m. Monday, July 26.

Perkins Fire Chief Joe Barta said fire had spread throughout the building when they arrived.

“There was a high volume of flame through the interior,” Barta said. “It had been burning for quite awhile.

“The west wall was completely down when we got there.”

Perkins and Payne County Emergency Management Departments, and the Payne County Sheriff’s Office also responded to assist, as did Christian Emergency Services volunteers, who provided drinks and a cooling station for emergency personnel.

The cause of the blaze was not known at press time, but Barta said it is believed to have been electrical in nature.

The bar was originally opened by Glen Nixon in 2000. He sold the business to Bill Sanders, who operated it as “Gypsy’s Spiderdome” for three and one-half years. Sanders was in the process of selling the property to current owner/operator Bill Tucker.

Tucker, who has run the business since December of 2009, said he was notified about the fire at around 9 a.m. Monday. He said the business had been open until midnight Sunday, and he had noted no problems then that might have caused the fire.

No one had been inside the building when the blaze started, but one of the firefighters received a minor cut to his hand while battling the flames.

The Spiderdome is constructed from four-inch concrete with foam insulation, Tucker said.

This is part of the July 29, 2010 online edition of The Journal.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you. Click here.