EVERETT — The most intense flames above Harvey’s Pub burned in the southwest part of the second floor, where a man was later found dead, according to the Everett Fire Department.
The two-alarm fire was first reported at 12:36 a.m. Sunday, upstairs from the bar and grill at 3615 Broadway. Fire engines arrived in four minutes, Assistant Fire Marshal Steve Goforth said.
Seconds later, crews called for a second alarm. Smoke alarms had warned the occupants to leave. Almost immediately, first responders were alerted that someone might still be in one of the second-story apartments.
Firefighters searched most of the floor, but because of the strength of the flames, they could not access the room where the body was recovered.
Crews battled for about 1½ hours before getting the fire under control.
The deceased man’s name was not released by authorities Monday.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office was tasked with confirming his identity, as well as the cause and manner of death.
A team of police and fire investigators were still sifting through evidence Monday, trying to pinpoint the fire’s cause. The focus was the apartment where the flames were heaviest, Goforth said. Firefighters were aware of only one tenant who was displaced. Two other upstairs apartments looked to be uninhabited, according to the fire department.
The building was erected in 1951. It had no sprinklers, according to property records. The two floors totaled about 5,200 square feet.
It was home to the Buzz Inn Steakhouse until the restaurant moved five blocks north. Since 2016, servers have been slinging hot sandwiches and drinks at Harvey’s Pub, where a red banner advertised “Great Food Great Times.”
Much of the damage to Harvey’s came from water in the firefighting.
An official estimate of the monetary loss hasn’t been tabulated. Records show the building sold for $750,000 in 2016.
On social media, people wondered if the fire could be tied to two recent mysterious fires at historic downtown buildings: an arson at Judd & Black in September, and an unsolved fire at Everett Office Furniture in September 2017. So far investigators have found nothing to suggest a link.
The space on Broadway has been home to Everett businesses and apartments for generations.
Gene Brookover Jr., 43, of Arlington, said his father lived on the second floor in the 1960s. Gene Sr. moved back to Everett after serving in the military. At the time, the storefront below was a motorcycle repair shop.
Once a week or so, when it was the Buzz Inn, that’s where the father and son would go to eat and hang out.
Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.
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