Fire damages Rare Bird Brewpub in downtown Traverse City, cause under investigation

Crews raced to Lake Avenue just after 3:15 a.m. Thursday, battling a fire near Rare Bird Brewpub and Archie’s Social House in downtown Traverse City as flames and an explosion ripped through the early-morning quiet. Fire officials said no one was inside the restaurant when the fire started, and no one was hurt, but the blaze quickly put one of the city’s most recognizable downtown gathering spots out of service.

Rare Bird Brewpub said it will be closed until further notice at 229 Lake Avenue, inside a restored 1931 red brick building that anchors the block. Owner Nate Crane said most of the damage was behind the restaurant, where a propane tank exploded and the fire concentrated around the brewery’s rear service area. Early dispatch reports indicated at least one or two propane tanks may have exploded.

The business later said the fire left significant smoke and water damage inside. Rare Bird co-owner Tina Schuett said the brewery expects to be closed for two to three months for cleanup and smoke remediation, a long shutdown that will keep the Lake Avenue location dark through spring and into summer if that timeline holds. The fire also hit a busy corner of downtown Traverse City, where Rare Bird and Archie’s Social House draw steady foot traffic and late-night business.

Investigators said they will review security camera footage from outside the building as they work to determine what started the blaze. One account said the fire began outside in the middle of the night, caught the brewery’s keg corral, exploded several kegs and spread into the bar area before interior sprinklers knocked it down. For now, officials have not released a cause or a full damage estimate, leaving the focus on a fast-moving fire that endangered a crowded downtown block even as it spared lives.