ZANESVILLE, Ohio — A skeleton structure is all that’s left of the historic Masonic Temple in Zanesville after a fire broke out Thursday night.

What You Need To Know

  • The Masonic Temple in Zanesville has been destroyed following a fire Thursday evening

  • Authorities said Friday that they will begin tearing what is left of the building down

  • A cause will likely never be determined as the structure is unsafe for investigators to enter

  • The loss of an iconic venue came with sadness to the community

Friday was a somber day in Zanesville after the fire destroyed one of the city's historical landmarks. With tears in her eyes, resident Kayla Pepper looked up at what’s left of the Masonic Temple.

“I’m heartbroken and saddened that we will probably end up losing this building forever,” said Pepper.

Assistant Fire Chief of the Zanesville Fire Department Doug Hobson says his team got the call around 10:44 p.m. Thursday. Four fire department continued working on the fire Friday.

Everyone was evacuated safely, but the cause of the fire will remain unknown due to the structure being unsafe to inspect.

“The age of the building and the heavy timber structure of the building, the old varnishes and the old paint, it goes a lot faster when you have that type of material in the building,” said Hobson.

He said working in below freezing temperatures was a challenge. Crews were rotating in and out of warming tents and buses. 

“It’s very cold,” said Hobson. “The biggest thing I want to do is thank the community, the Red Cross, there’s been two buses out here all night long as warming shelters, people have dropped off McDonald’s and hot coffee and the community takes care of us.” 

Albert Zakany, a life-long Zanesville resident, said he didn’t want to get in the way Thursday night when he saw the smoke. He owns a business right across from the building.

“We always had dealings with the Masonic Temple; we even catered weddings there,” said Zakany.

Just like Pepper, he’s sad to see such a piece of history destroyed.

“It's hard to calculate the loss,” Zakany said.

Hobson says power and gas on the block were shut off. Prisoners at the Muskingum County Jail have been moved and businesses in the area remain closed, as of Friday evening.

The seven-story building was home to many artists in the area. Hobson said earlier on Friday that he hopes his team can begin tearing the building down at midnight.​

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