LOVELAND, Ohio – Kevin Egan knew after his manager called him a second time in the middle of the night in May 2017 that he needed to get down to his restaurant.
- 5 buildings damaged
- 11-alarm fire in May 2017
- 1 business relocated, 1 didn’t return
What Egan didn't know was a historic fire was forever changing downtown Loveland.
“As I pulled into the backside of town and came over the hill I saw the downtown area in a glow and thought 'Oh my gosh, this is a legitimate fire,'” Egan told Spectrum News 1.
By the time Egan made it to downtown, first responders and firefighters were scattered throughout the historic business district. Flames engulfed several buildings. In all, five buildings suffered some time of damage but they were all salvaged.
For Egan, his partners decided in March 2017 to open another restaurant. Their first restaurant, Paxton's was successful in downtown and a property not 100 feet away was available. Their plans included Bike Trail Junction but the fire hit one week before opening.
“It was so devastating for the community and what was going on down here, in the fact that we didn't burn down, we felt very lucky and appreciative of that, and so we made the decision to go ahead and put it in a makeshift outdoor kitchen. And kind of when we opened a very abbreviated concept, just to have some people down here for the summer months.”
Two restaurants, retail offices, store-fronts, and a number of apartments were all damaged. Egan's building suffered extensive smoke and water damage.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, a blessing considering the number of tenants in upstairs apartments when the fire started.
Egan's business was forced to make changes. Out was Bike Trail Junction and in was Ramsey's Trailside restaurant. After more than a year of renovations, insurance fights that are still ongoing, permitting and hiring – the restaurant opened in early November to little fanfare.
“We just literally unlocked the doors one day and let people slowly start coming in and that's worked out well for everybody. As a new business and all that, it's allowed our awesome staff to get their feet underneath them. And with some new concepts we had some kinks to work out. But it's worked out really well and it's been tremendously received.”
Ramsey's is now one of three restaurants to occupy the block that was devastated by the fire. All three restaurants now feature two-levels of options for customers.
Two retail spaces are still undergoing renovations but should be open soon.
The facades are fixed, streetscapes are fixed, and people are coming back to the downtown area. The fire, which spurred a “Loveland Strong” campaign was also the catalyst for a new foundation.
“Loveland Legacy Foundation was an organization that really was formed as a result the fire out last year and really the focus around that is to have an organization that's already in place now in the event is something like this will never happen again,” Egan said.
The non-profit foundation has the backing of several of the business and building owners affected by the fire. The group's mission is to provide support to other organizations, businesses, initiatives, and ideas for Loveland.
“My appreciation has really grown around the people of Loveland,” Egan said from one of the bars at Ramsey's. Just to see how everybody has come together throughout this process and how there is such an interest in supporting the local business now. You don't find that in all your areas around town and I think that's unique to Loveland.”