Early this morning, a fire engulfed the Plank Road Tavern in Montville, leading to a significant emergency response. Nearly 20 fire departments worked to extinguish the flames, a collective effort to tame the blaze that erupted just after 4 a.m., according to officials cited by WKYC. While the blaze was controlled and no one was inside the building, Trumbull Township Fire Chief Clinton Rose confirmed the scene's stabilization and the unfortunate likelihood that the historical tavern was a total loss.
Route 6 was closed due to the fire but has since been reopened for traffic. Reports from News5Cleveland indicate that aerial footage showed smoke billowing from the building while firefighters doused the fire. Moreover, the same source mentioned the reopening of Route 6 after the necessary closure for safety and operational reasons during firefighting efforts.
A sentiment of loss pervades the community, as Captain Bruce Johnson of the Montville Fire Department remarked on the established place of the tavern in local lore, stating, "It's kinda sad -- this establishment has been here for a long, long time," in a statement obtained by Cleveland 19. Fighting this fire posed exceptional challenges due to the tavern's older construction, which allowed the fire to spread through void spaces in the structure. Captain Johnson noted, "The fire got inside every little spot that it could."
As the investigation into the fire's cause proceeds, with the Geauga County Fire Investigative Unit and State Fire Marshal at the helm, initial inquiries will leverage security footage to glean insights. No injuries were reported from the incident, and the tavern owner has not disclosed any plans for rebuilding or restoration of the Plank Road Tavern. "Probably the building's gonna end up coming down but we have to wait for the investigation of this fire," said Johnson in the Cleveland19 News article. The loss felt by residents is palpable, as was the tavern's renown for a "good breakfast," which is now indefinitely off the menu.
