Gaslight Tavern catches on fire
At approximately 6 p.m. Friday Lawrence motorists and customers at Johnny’s North called 911 after seeing smoke billowing from a building located behind Gaslight Tavern in north Lawrence.
“When we arrived we did have smoke and fire on the inside of the building,” said DCFM Chief Mark Bradford. “The building was not occupied at the time of the fire so at this point the fire has been extinguished.”
The bar’s owner, Jake Lickteig, said he received numerous phone calls from customers and rushed to the scene to assess the damage. He said the room was used to store musical instruments, bar necessities and alcohol.
Patrons say the bar was hitting its stride by hosting more musical acts and offering a festive atmosphere. Lickteig will now have to put in extra hours to get the bar back up and running. “It’s going to affect me hard,” he said. “There's not a lot of financial backing here it’s just me and my friends.”