A beloved Central Texas bar and eatery is now temporarily closed after a massive fire broke out over the weekend, and the Austin Fire Department is sharing new details on what caused the blaze at Bar Peached in Austin.
An Austin Fire Department spokesperson told MySA that the fire on early Sunday, May 31, was caused by a malfunctioning refrigerator at Bar Peached. According to AFD, the refrigerator provided the heat source to ignite the fire, which then extended into the attic.
Austin Fire estimates that the building sustained an estimated $600,000 in damages. AFD first responded to a fire at Bar Peached, located at 1315 W 6th St., at 6:25 a.m. Sunday morning, according to an X post.
The department said crews were fighting an attic fire that breached the roof and were attacking the fire from inside the building. AFD confirmed there were no people in the building at the time, and no reported injuries from the fire.
As the fire progressed, it became difficult for AFD crews to access the building, which caused them to withdraw from the building and initiate an exterior defensive fire attack. Pressler Street was shut down as crews used hydrant water supply hose lines to extinguish the fire between 5th and 6th Streets.
The fire was reported as “under control with a few remaining hot spots” around 7:23 a.m. Bar Peached owner Eric Silverstein shared a statement in response to the fire on Instagram, saying in part, “The damage is bad and we will be closed for a while.”
“This one hurts. So much love, passion, sweat and tears have been poured into this building by so many people over the years,” Silverstein wrote, “Thank you to the @austinfiredept for responding so quickly and their heroic efforts to put this fire out. We will keep you updated and are thankful to report nobody was injured. Please visit our sister restaurants with @peachedtortilla in the meantime.”
It’s currently unclear how long the bar will be closed, but MySA reached out to Silverstein and Bar Peached for more information.